Uninvited Foe

Word count: 1822

<—>

To illustrate the unfolding scene, the best word to use would be "Chaos."

As the Tanjiro cleanly severed the spine, everything came crashing down. The mass of flesh flailed wildly, hitting anything in its path, including the very tracks that guided the train. This broken path led to disastrous consequences.

The locomotive veered off its intended course, dragging the connected carriage along with it, and continued on until the entire train stumbled like a man tumbling down a flight of stairs.

The train began to flip over, with carriages soaring into the air at breakneck speed, while others scraped against the ground, creating friction, and some collided with one another, flipping in the process. The entire situation was pure chaos.

All this destruction stemmed from a single demon, fortelling just how dangerous they are.

Caught in the chaos was Fujino, who, consumed by rage, was focused on tearing apart the demon with his sword. He was taken by surprise when he heard the shriek and felt the sudden derailment of the train, sending him flying.

He soared high into the air, yelping in shock at his predicament. As he snapped out of his rage, he quickly assessed his situation and braced himself.

As he descended, he unleashed a powerful Wind Blade, which unexpectedly came out in two, but it effectively slowed his fall, allowing him to stay airborne a bit longer before ultimately hitting the ground.

He hit the ground hard, rolling and tumbling like a ragdoll as train carriages crashed down around him. Gritting his teeth, he held onto the earth as tightly as he could to slow his momentum.

Fortunately, luck was on his side as he finally came to a complete stop, his breath coming in quick gasps as he realized he was safe. "Oh, thank kami—"

But saying that lady luck was with him would be like claiming he loved cheese, which was a total lie. As he turned on the ground to catch his breath, he noticed a carriage tilting dangerously close, threatening to crush him.

With a yelp and a string of curses, Fujino scrambled out from its shadow just in time to avoid being flattened. Of course, if he were an ordinary human, he would have been done for, but he wasn't. He was likely to survive, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.

"I really do jinx everything, don't I?" he chuckled dryly to himself, realizing that nothing ever seemed to go his way today. But hey, at least that demon was taken care of, and dawn was just around the corner.

So what could possibly go wrong?

"Hah... Man, what has my life turn into?" he sighed, leaning against a carriage to reflect. Honestly, he was approaching the six-month mark since his isekai this alternate japan, and the drastic change in his lifestyle was still quite overwhelming, but he welcomed it with open arms.

This new life, filled with fighting demons and gaining strength, was a significant improvement over his old one, If he hadn't ended up here, he would likely be sitting in a jail cell, waiting for his trial. So, this experience was truly a blessing.

Although he wished he could enjoy a break from all the demon-slaying and training, since he was somewhat thrust into this missiuon, he thought it best to review the rewards of his efforts.

[73,500 XP]

[Objective updated: Prey to Hunter: (41/50)]

[Quest Completed!

[—>★Mugen Train

It seems the "people disappearing" rumor has some truth to it, as they've all ended up in a demon's stomach! The pervert known as "Lower Moon 1" is responsible, and it's your mission to put an end to his train of terror once and for all!

Main Objective: Defeat Enmu

Bonus Objective: Fall asleep no more than 10 times (10/10)

Main Reward: 150,000 XP - 20 points to all stats - (Detection) ability

Bonus Reward: 5 to all stats]

[Name: Fujino Yuki

Level: 56 (8970/34,500)

Race: Demon (6 minutes)

Health: 1490/1490 (+19.8/sec)

Stamina: 1580/1580 (+21.0/sec)

STR: 180

DUR: 137

END: 149

AGI: 158

INT: 51

CHA: 64

Attributes Points (AP): 33]

[The following skills have leveled up:

Swordsmanship: 40 —> 42]

Unarmed Martial Arts: 37 —> 40]

The following Ability have leveled up:

[Wind Blade: 1 —> 2

Wind Blade (Active) (LV2/3) (Cost: 65 stamina): Your skill in swordsmanship is becoming evident. By focusing your strength on your sword, you can now generate two blades of wind that slices through anything at a distance.]

[New Ability has been added.

Detection (Active) (LV1/2) (Cost: 5 Stamina/s) : Have you ever heard of a "Sixth sense"? Well, get ready for something similar! This ability lets you feel the presence of people and things within a certain radius around you.]

Fujino couldn't help but whistle at the rewards, feeling pleased with his progress. Maybe this whole adventure was worth it after all. He not only gained a new ability, He also managed to level up Wind Blade, which was definitely his favorite skill. Although he hadn't yet improved Precision Strike, he was sure he'd get there in time.

On the other hand, his Swordsmanship and Unarmed martial arts skills hadn't advanced much, which was a bit disappointing, but he knew he'd get there in time.

Overall, taking down the lower moon 1 demon was definitely worth it.

Yet, just thinking about that demon's face reignited his anger. Out of all the demons he faced, Enmu was the worst. Sure, Rui had caused him physical pain by chopping off his legs, but that kind of hurt eventually fades.

The mental torment he experienced, though, would linger for a long time, and he knew it.

'I can't believe a demon like that exists—diving into people's memories and messing with them like that.' The worst part was that he seemed to take pleasure in it; that twisted pervert relished every moment.

He truly earned the title of pervert for what he did to Fujino when he used his blood demon art on him for that second time. Being trapped in that river, with that naked demoness clinging to him and showering him with kisses as if he were a doll, the sensation of her breasts against him, her intoxicating scent—.

Fujino had to shake his head vigorously to dispel the blush creeping onto his cheeks. There was nothing enjoy at all; it was incredibly humiliating!

'ANYWAYS let me try out Detection. It sound like it's really useful and just keep me from getting ambushed. Kami know's how much I hate those.' He closed his eyes and activated it.

A pulse radiated from him, extending outward. He sensed the presence of many people—dozens, in fact—though he couldn't pinpoint their exact locations. It felt like an aura intertwining with others around him.

'Hmm, So i can feel where they are, but not their precise spot.' He continued to focus, hoping to catch something more specific. Moments later, he detected two presences ahead of him, close to the front of the wreck.

'Oh shit, I forgot about those two! I should go see if they're okay.' After turning off Detection, he carefully made his way through the rubble, jumping over obstacles until he finally arrived at their spot.

"Ah, there you are." he strolled in casually, as if they were just catching up over lunch. Tanjiro was sprawled on the ground, clearly worn out, while Inosuke was leaning over him, checking up on his friend.

He assessed their condition; Inosuke looked a bit rough around the edges with his clothes dirty but no injuries, while Tanjiro was in much worse shape—his kimono was torn, a large bruise marred his side, and he had several small cuts.

"Wow, you guys look like shit, are you both okay?" he asked, concern clear on his voice.

'Observe'

[ —> The Protagonist 

Name: Tanjiro Kamado 

Level: 39 

Health: 400/630 (Exhausted) 

Stamina: 30/850]

"Fujino... No, no... I'm fine. It just feels like my body is on fire right now," Tanjiro replied, weakly lifting his head to meet his gaze.

Inosuke chimed in, "Never felt better! I didn't even catch a cold! And Tanjiro used this super amazing breathing style I've never seen before. That's probably why he's so tired out." For once, he got Tanjiro's name right which earned a tick mark on Fujino's face.

"Oh? A breathing style? Isn't yours called 'Water Breathing' or something?" Fujino asked.

"Uh, no—yes—I mean—it's complicated," Tanjiro stammered, struggling to explain, either too exhausted or unsure of how to articulate it. Fujino decided to drop the subject.

"So, where are your slayer friends? Or your sister? They're still on the train, right?" he inquired, noticing Tanjiro's eyes widen at the mention of his sister.

"Nezuko! I have to ack—" Tanjiro attempted to get up but ended up face-planting, with Inosuke having to hold him down to prevent him from trying again.

"Wait a second, you idiot! You're too exhausted to do anything! You'll just hurt yourself more!" Inosuke snapped at him.

Fujino watched the two, surprised at how this wild boar was looking out for his friend's well-being. A twinge of jealousy flickered within him at their bond; he wondered if anyone would care for him in a similar way when he was unwell.

He shook his head gently, reminding himself not to dwell on trivial feelings. After all, he and Tanjiro were practically friends, on a first-name basis, so he couldn't let small insecurities cloud his mind.

"Hey, you stay put and catch some Z's. I'll go find your sister, okay?" he said, knowing that despite being a demon, he would likely have to deal with that hashira. He was determined to do it because he was certain that this fool would end up hurting himself if he didn't.

Plus, his sister was pretty cute, so that was a bonus.

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away, putting some distance between them. 'I guess I'll have to search everywhere, so it's best to use Detection for this.'

He shut his eyes and repeated his earlier action. He probably didn't need to close his eyes, but it helped him concentrate. Soon, he sensed the same aura as before; most of them were in the carriages, moving around, likely awake after the crash.

He could feel three of them shifting about, outside of the carriages, which meant they must be the slayers.

But just as he was about to disable it, he sensed another presence approaching, this one moving incredibly fast—almost too fast for him to accurately detect. Whoever it was, they were clearly sprinting toward...

Him?

His eyes widened in surprise as he turned, only to be struck in the chest by something solid. It felt like his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as he was sent crashing hard into a carriage.

Detection wasn't much help against ambushes, it seemed.

<—>

Taisho-era secrets!

Fujino really can't stand cheese. He dislikes its soft texture and strong flavor, and he absolutely detests the moldy varieties. Just the sight of them is enough to make him feel nauseous.