Demon You Don't Know

Yoriichi stood behind Yunyun as she continued to stare directly at the diminutive figure a short distance away, wind gently waving the ends of her cloak in one direction.

"Yunyun-san?" Yoriichi gave a light tap on her shoulder, noticing her jump slightly as he spoke quietly. "Is there an issue?"

"N-None." The young Arch-Wiard replied quickly tone hushed. "It's my rival."

Yoriichi silently nodded as he remained where he was while Yunyun moved forward to greet her 'rival'.

If she was Yunyun's rival, would that also make her an Arch-Wizard? That would make the most sense as a swordsmen would only ever consider other swordsmen their rivals. Would there be some contest of skill or a challenge issued? While Yoriichi had no overt rivals during his time in the Demon Slayer Corps, he knew that other swordsmen would always try to gauge their chances with a contest involving their swordsmanship.

"There you are Yunyun!"

Yoriichi looked back up to see the lithe frame of Yunyun's supposed rival, and observed. There was familiarity in the voice that called out, even a sense of friendliness. No hostility or any preparation for attack.

It seemed that interaction would be at the least civil.

"I couldn't find you at the guild in your usual spot and when I asked the Onee-san where you went, she said you didn't show up today!" She waved as the wooden staff clicked with every step. "So I went out on a quest and when you still weren't at the guild, I thought I'd check back at the inn."

"S-Sorry about that! I was about to make my way to the guild!" Yunyun dipped her head apologetically. "Did you go out with another group today?"

"After I made my way all the way here." The stranger replied, sounded tired. "I just got back from a quest you know."

"Yes."

"… no luck then?"

The silent tilt of the hat was answer enough.

"W-well don't worry! I'm sure you'll find—"

Yunyun was quickly cut off by this stranger.

"Enough about me." There was a bit of annoyance in her voice as she redirected the conversation, soon putting her free arm on her hip. "Care to explain to me what you've been doing all day?"

"I was busy today!" Yunyun began, nervously playing with a lock of her own hair. "Y-you see, I was on quest—"

"A likely story." There was a tone of skepticism as the petite girl moved forward, unusually large hat giving him no clear view of her face. "The Onee-san said the last time she saw you she said you were with a man with a face tattoo!" She got quite close to her face as if to look for a sign of deception. "Please don't tell me you've fallen into the wrong crowd!"

"I haven't!" The meeker of the two stammered out her denial. "It's not like that!"

"Oh, really now?" The younger girl replied back, disbelief clear. "And why were at the inn anyways? Could it be…" She put her free hand up to her mouth. "Yunyun, you didn't!"

"Wh-wh-what!" Her face turned a deep crimson as she fervently shook her head, trying to dissuade that notion. "N-no!"

Yoriichi could only stare as he saw this situation progressed.

The people in this world were perplexing to him.

After a few seconds, Yunyun regained her composure, still as red as an apple, she continued.

"H-he's here with me, we just took a detour… to get Chomusuke!" There was a second before she moved to the side of the doorway and gestured to him. "See…"

"Hm?" The girl approached with caution, before the large brim looked down towards the ground, slowly tilting upwards, finally stopping when their eyes met. Well, eye in her case, as adorned on a porcelain complexion was only a singular crimson eye with an eye patch over the second eye… had she lost an eye?

With a blink, he found himself in the see-through world, and judging from her bone structure, she couldn't be much younger than Yunyun. Observing her face now, he could see that there was an eye hidden away underneath the patch, so it left him to wonder as to why she wore it… perhaps there was some custom or tradition of her people or perhaps personal preference?

Another blink and he was back in the land that everyone else saw, and as this younger girl was first focused on the Kaibyo atop his head before eyes landed on the only thing that marred the left side of his forehead.

"That tattoo… it's so cool!" The smaller of the three got on the tips of her toes as if to try and examine it closer. "You have to tell me who did it for you, please!" She excitedly gushed over the supposed 'cool-ness' of his mark, although he was uncertain what temperature had to do with this. "Or did you do it yourself?"

"Yoriichi!" Most of the redness had washed out of Yunyun's face leaving only a light dust as she defensively spoke up. "Please tell her the that we were on a quest today!"

"We are in a temporary party, and were on quest today." Yoriichi stated honestly, pulling out the quest to hunt toads. "Unfortunately, the hunt was scarce."

"See!" The Arch-Wizard exclaimed, pointing at the sheet. "Did you think I'd hang out with some weirdo at the guild hall?"

The young lady turned to her now, a low hum came from her followed with a stare which was most certainly filled with doubts.

"D-don't look at me like that!"

"Sorry Yunyun." The girl apologized, looking towards her. "It's just that you're a bit gullible when it comes to stuff like this."

"Stuff like this?" She sounded insulted. "What do you mean by that!?"

"You know…" She gestured with her gloved hand. "Socializing…"

"H-hey!'

"We're getting off topic here." She waved her off as she took a step forward. "If you say he's in your party, albeit temporary, then I suppose that's definite proof that you've found a companion sooner than I… quite the unexpected turn of events for my rival to have found a companion before me." Her smile slowly curved downwards at the edges, clasping her fist and placing it over her heart before reaching into her robe to pull out a small leatherbound booklet. "She may have claimed victory this time… but I'll have the last laugh when fate leads me to mine!"

Scribing something down quickly, she put the writing utensil and booklet away.

"I suppose then, we should get acquainted then."

Yunyun's eyes widened as the Arch-Wizard in red adjusted her posture, taking a breath in as if this stranger was planning something.

His instincts told him that it was nothing hostile, yet Yunyun's posture and sudden change in demeanor would've suggested something that was cause for concern was coming.

"No-now there's no need for this…" Shaking her head fervently, she tried to dissuade this girl, to no success. "Please! Meg—"

"Nonsense Yunyun!" The young girl's proclamation cut off Yunyun as her eye began to glow dimly. "It is only proper that I introduce myself as our people would!"

The action was now in motion, with a seemingly perfected flourish of her arm, she flung her free arm out allowing for her cloak to fly out behind her much like a kite does in the sky. Soon after, she used the momentum to deftly weave her arm back up towards her head, to grab the brim of her hat to straighten it out with flair.

"My name is Megumin!" The girl in red shouted her name to him as her right eye began to glow, lowering her gloved hand to allow it to hover over her face. "An Arch-Wizard prodigy and wielder of the most powerful magic of them all, Explosion!" Extending her free arm to point at him now, he could see a smug smile on her face. "Introduce yourself if you are the ally of my rival!"

Maroon eyes blinked once as the younger girl finished her movements, and while he outwardly remained stoic, he felt a hint of amusement and a bit of nostalgia from witnessing the seemingly absurd introduction.

It had the excitement and conviction that reminded him of his older brother, how he would proclaim that he would be the strongest samurai in the land whilst waving an imaginary blade… but now was not the time to be remembering moments gone by, as it would be most impolite to not introduce oneself after such a grand show.

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni." The swordsman greeted politely, giving a half-bow a bit higher than his homeland's custom dictated due to the resting cat atop his head. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The young lady's crimson eyes looked over him as if she was awaiting something, yet when he had nothing more to say, the corners of her lips raised slightly.

"Oh, no comments on my name?" She questioned, returning both arms to her staff as she leaned on it. "No remarks on Crimson Demon custom?"

"I had no issue."

It was true that he thought that their names were a bit odd and this custom was unfamiliar to him, yet he was in a world completely alien than his own, so his name and customs were likely odd to them.

He did consider it stranger that the locals here used honorifics on and off, but perhaps it was just the way of the universe for things to remain similar no matter how far one traversed.

"That was so embarrassing!"

It seemed that during all this excitement, Yunyun had crouched down and tried to hide herself away from this display, hands covering most of her face, although he could see that her ears were red with the embarrassment she spoke of.

"Megumin why did you do that!" She stood up now, her cheeks dusted over with red as she accusatorily pointed towards this 'Megumin'. "You're just jealous that I found a party first and wanted to embarrass me!"

"I'm not jealous!" Megumin immediately replied, voice raised. "It is only proper that I greet him as a Crimson Demon" With a 'tsk', Megumin looked back to the swordsman. "Did she not introduce herself when you two first met?"

"I-I did." She stuttered as if she was caught in a lie. "Just… not like that…"

"You might as well have not introduced yourself at all!" With a tired sigh that hinted that this was not the first time this had occurred, she continued. "Especially for two days!"

"Ac-actually three." Yunyun touched the tips of her index fingers together. "We met when you went out and dealt with that mega-slime… this evening marks day three."

"Three full days!" She exaggerated the first word. "Seriously Yunyun, you need to get better at this!"

While it seemed that their talk of rivalry was done, there was an awkward silence that fell among the two. It seemed that there was uncertainty to what should be said next, or if conversation should continue.

"S-so Megumin…" Yunyun looked to the girl in question. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Ah, right." The second Arch-Wizard nodded, looking to her clan-member. "We're about to be stuck in the stables."

There was a pause.

"Eh?!" Shocked, she moved to put her arms on Megumin's shoulders. "What do you mean that we're about to be stuck in the stables? I thought that nice man was covering our rooms!"

"Yeah, he did, only for the first week though. You must've been out of it if you don't remember that much… " Megumin sighed, before continuing to speak. "I didn't think it was going to be a concern, so I didn't bring it up earlier, but since I haven't had steady pay, I thought now would be the right time."

"Right… we should have enough for a little longer…" Yunyun grabbed a pouch with the design of a flower emblazoned on it, peeking in to see its contents. "Oh… that's not a lot…" She brought her fist up to her chin, resting her head on it. "That's a bit of a problem."

With a quick snatch, Megumin looked in.

"Yeah. Big time."

"H-hey! At least ask first!"

"This is a predicament most dire!" Megumin proclaimed, glancing at the two of them. "And it must be remedied quickly, so I have an idea."

"Really? What's your idea?" Yunyun took her pouch back.

"I figure we should form a temporary party and take on a quest!" Megumin stated confidently. "With the might of two Arch-Wizards and a…" She looked to him now and gestured for him to say his class.

"Adventurer"

"Adventurer—" She abruptly cut herself off, looking at him. "Wait an adventurer?"

Wordlessly, he nodded.

"Megumin…" Yunyun cut in now, her face donning a polite smile, yet quite clearly showed displeasure and hoping that her rival would rectify herself. "Do you not remember my promise? My once-in-a-lifetime declaration?"

"I don't remember-"

The usually timid girl grabbed onto her shoulders and began to violently shake Megumin back and forth.

"How could you forget!" Yunyun cried out, her distress at the news audible. "Unbelievable!"

"Y-Yoriichi!" The frantic plea of the younger Arch-Wizard called for aid. "Do something!"

As amusing as this interaction appeared, it was probably for the best if he intervened.

"Yunyun-san. I'm certain Megumin-san didn't intentionally mean to forget your promise." Yoriichi tapped her shoulder immediately causing her to stop violently shaking the poor girl. "However, a valid concern was brought up and a solution was provided, so please do not get upset." With a diplomatic tone, he continued, now looking to Megumin. "If you wish to discuss this further, I invite you to dine with us, so we may discuss this arrangement to the benefit of all parties involved."

"If that's fine with you." The petite Crimson Demon looked to her rival. "

"R-right, but!" Letting go of Megumin, she pouted. "Don't think you're off the hook yet Megumin!"

"Fine! Jeez…" She rubbed one of her shoulders. "And you should be honored, it is rare to dine with not only one Crimson Demon, but two!"

As if on que, an 'ugu' sound came from Megumin's stomach, causing her to redden slightly.

"Then I am honored that you would share a table with me, Megumin-san."

…

After the meal of the previous evening, and some diplomatic wording, the three of them had come to an agreement.

For the benefit of the two Crimson Demons, they would form a temporary party of three, so that Megumin and Yunyun would not be left impoverished for the coming days. The payment would be split seventy-five to twenty-five, the twenty-five going to Yoriichi.

While Yunyun had insisted on the original fifty-fifty and Megumin trying to split it evenly amongst the three, Yoriichi had no qualms with taking lesser pay for this quest.

After all, he was already staying in the stables and had a bit of money to get through at least the next two weeks.

As for now, the three of them were in a field.

With a swift motion, a Giant Toad found itself headless, the heavy thud of such a large beast shaking the nearby earth.

"Yoriichi, get the one to the right, and I'll get the two to the left!" The young Arch-Wizard called out to him before shouting out her incantation. "Fireball!"

Just as she conjured up the flames, Yoriichi moved with only as much speed as he needed to avoid the toad's tongue, and with a single slash easily decapitating the beast, the heat radiating off his blade cauterizing the wound of the toad.

Yoriichi sheathed his blade, looking to the youngest of the three.

"Alright!" Yunyun gave a little clap as she ran over to Yoriichi. "With those four, that means we've completed the quest!"

"That is good." Yoriichi did his routine to look over each toad, to see if there was anything amiss with them. "Are you satisfied with the results Megumin-san?"

As the two looked at her, she seemed distracted, and when he looked over, he could once again see the unforgettable radiant blue hair of the 'banana' merchant, this time doing labor next to a giant hole, and next to her was a man hunched over, dirt and grime marring his clothes and skin, though his build reminded him vaguely of his homeland.

"Um, Megumin?"

"Oh huh?" Snapped out of whatever trance she was in, she looked to her. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"Yoriichi-san asked if you were satisfied with our results?"

"Not at all!" Megumin looked over to the two of them. "I didn't even get to show off my amazing powers yet!"

"Megumin, if you want to show off your explosion then shoot one off over…" Yunyun put her hand over her eyes to block out the sun, before finally pointed at an unmarred portion of the field. "There!"

"Please Yunyun, if you two got to show your skills by using toads, then at least let me find something worthy of being ended by my beautiful explosion magic!" She did a pose. "And the guards told me not to waste my awesome power on such trivial matters!"

"Is that why the guard recognized you?" Yunyun crossed her arms. "Come on Megumin, let's go."

"No wait! Ah, um…" Megumin voice became slightly frantic as she tried to find a reason. "Oh! I've heard an interesting rumor at the guild about a powerful demon in the forest!"

"I-I don't think we're prepared to deal with that." Yunyun stuttered slightly as she looked to the two of them. "L-lets collect our reward, and see if we'll have enough to cover lodging for another week."

Yunyun was the only one to begin moving away, for Yoriichi moved closer to Megumin.

"A demon?" It was like a switch in his mind had flipped, finding himself act as he would have back in his homeland in such an instance. "Are there any witnesses, any victims?"

"It's only rumor going around in the guild." Megumin took a step back, surprised that he took such a sudden interest. "People coming in to town the other day mention that they saw what appeared to be a demon enter the north-eastern forest." Megumin pointed in the direction of the forest. "While there is no official reward at this moment, the guild might pay us if we defeat it!"

"Megumin, the forest is dangerous as is, even if we don't run into this demon."

"It'll be better if we do, after all, nothing can survive my explosion." Megumin boasted. "It defeated Arnes in one explosion."

"Arnes?" Yoriichi looked to the two of them.

"Arnes was the name of a demon we encountered on our way to Axel." Yunyun explained, and after receiving a look from Megumin, she continued. "Apparently her parents sold her a magical item which she was… displeased with."

"Impressive." If what Yunyun was saying is true, then a spell powerful enough to destroy a demon in a single strike truly is a terrifying power. "Is that all?"

"Ah, eh… well…"

"That's all." The Explosion-Mage confidently cut in, not allowing Yunyun to say no more. "She fought me and I defeated her with a single spell."

"When you speak like that, you usually screw up…"

"Quiet Yunyun!"

"I see." Yoriichi knew there was more to this tale than she was letting on, yet if she chose not to elaborate further, that was her choice to make. However, "If there is any information about demons you can share with me, I would be grateful."

"Eh?! Yoriichi-san, don't tell me that you plan on going into the forest."

"Rumor or not, I cannot stand idle." Yoriichi rested his hand on his katana's grip. While many might disregard such rumors, there have been many a time where a towns rumor had truth behind them. Any clue was worth investigating." Looking to the forest, he wondered where this demon might be. "Though we should be cautious, there might be other dangers such as those slimes."

"See Yunyun, even Yoriichi agrees!" Megumin walked up to be standing next to him. "Just imagine, how everyone will cheer our names when we come back having defeated the demon!" Megumin smiled as she used her staff to point to an imaginary crowd. "They'll be so amazed that the both of us will have adventurers trying to join our parties!"

"Well… I can't sit by and watch my rival do something stupid without supervision..." Yunyun clasped her hands, fiddling with her fingers as she glanced over at Yoriichi. "… so I'll join you."

"That's the spirit!" Megumin took the lead. "I'll be in—" She cut off as she realized what was said. "I take offense to that! I'm not doing something stupid!" She began to bicker with Yunyun as they began to walk towards the forest. "You take that back now!"

"Megumin!"

Yoriichi could not help but feel a twinge of contentment as he saw the two bicker very much like siblings do.

This rivalry was truly strange.

…

Yoriichi took the lead as the two younger Arch-Wizards stood behind him.

While he was uncertain how vigilant the two were, he did his best to take in everything around him, from the breeze moving along with them to the sounds of the local fauna. He even took great care to check the branches high above every now and then, to ensure that slimes would not ambush them.

"So you two have been in this forest before?" Megumin spoke, curiosity in her voice.

"Um… yes." Yunyun answered in the affirmative. "We were chasing a giant toad."

"A toad outran you?"

"It was farther from us and had a head start." Yoriichi explained calmly. "In the end, we never got it."

"You lost a toad!?" Megumin replied, clearly not believing it. "There like ten feet tall!"

"Ah not like that Megumin!" Yunyun began clearing up the misconception. "The toad was already prey to slimes."

"Ah, that makes more sense." There was understanding now. "What color were the slimes?"

"Green."

"Yes, green." Yunyun affirmed after him, before looking to Megumin. "Why are you asking?"

"Well when I quested with a party, we encountered some purple ones." While she spoke plainly, it seemed that there was an unpleasant memory attached to this experience. "There were flying squirrels before that that too…"

"Flying Squirrels?" Both Yoriichi and Yunyun spoke in unison, but the latter was the only one who continued. "Flying Squirrels sound cute."

"Oh, its all fun and games until there's a pack of them."

Yoriichi recalled the flying rodents of his homeland. They were very small, being able to fit in the palm of his hand and were nocturnal creatures. Oftentimes he would take a moment to feed them after defeating any demon he came across should they ever reveal themselves to him.

Yet he doubted that Megumin came to this forest in the night, and if the toads were giant, then what was to stop the squirrels from being large?

A rustle in the shrubbery caused for the three of them to pause and halt, his hand immediately sliding to the grip of his blade.

"Huh. Speak of the devil." Megumin seemed unphased by the sudden rustling.

Perhaps these would be the creatures she had mentioned less than a moment ago?

A blur hopped out of the bush and into the clearing, and before them was a rabbit.

"Oh!" Yunyun let out a little squeal as her crimson eyes landed on the creature. "S-So cute!"

However, it was a lot larger than a normal rabbit, its fur as white as freshly fallen snow, and strangely a giant horn protruding from its forehead.

It was an adorable looking creature, one that seemed harmless enough… so why had he not yet let go of his handle yet?

"Its just too cute!" Once more, Yunyun squealed as she shuffled around, most likely looking between the two of them and the rabbit. "Megumin, Yoriichi-san! It's so cute! It can't be a monster right?"

"Yunyun!" Megumin's voice while trying to urge caution was already wavering. "The guild staff warned us that the nearby forest was filled with dangerous monsters remember!" A small clap could be heard, most likely the younger Arch-Wizard attempting to refocus herself with a light pat of her cheek. "It's a One-Hit Rabbit, a dangerous name for something 'so cute'."

"One-Hit Rabbit?" Yoriichi echoed the name as he kept his maroon eyes on the beast.

"Yes! They're dangerous monsters according to the guild!" She repeated once again, but was still falling for its charms. "We need to kill it… carefully…"

Megumin had called this beast a 'dangerous monster', yet aside from the horn, why did it look so defenseless? Why was it sitting out all alone?

"We're killing it?" Yunyun sounded devastated at the idea, voice shaky with sadness. "We can't, it hasn't done anything wrong!"

Red eyes wetting, it let out a soft cry as if it was beckoning for protection.

"Chu—"

"You're not a monster." Yunyun cooed in a sing song voice as she began to walk forward. "Come here! I got some veggie sticks! Here bunny bunny!'

Something in the air changed, as he tensed up now. While he had not smelt it when they first stopped, there was a new scent wafting in their direction. Something coppery and iron-like…

Eyes widening, he lifted his arm up and prevented Yunyun from moving any closer.

"Yoriichi-san what was that for?" Yunyun sounded confused by his action. "I was going to—"

Yoriichi focused on the scent, and looking up slightly, he could see something in the shadows that the other two had yet to see.

More rabbits surrounding the source of the scent, a strange grey furry mound.

The experienced swordsman did not need to enter the transparent world to know what was going on.

Looking back down at the rabbit, its fake tears stopped as it seemed to have noticed that its ruse was up.

With such speed, the rabbit lunged at Yunyun, and before she could react, he reacted.

Blade leaving it's sheath, he could see sparks fly as the horn was easily deflected, and redirected into a nearby tree, the rabbit getting stuck horn first into the tree.

"Huh?" Both girls were shocked as they looked at the One-Hit Rabbit in the tree.

"They eat meat." Yoriichi calmly warned the two as he assumed a guarding stance. "Prepare yourselves."

"Huh!?" There was now worry as they soon saw what Yoriichi was looking at.

It seemed that their voices now caught the attention of the other rabbits, whose attention was no longer on their recent catch, but now on what they must've considered their next potential meal.

"Carnivores!" The two girls shouted in shock as they began to move back.

More of these One-Hit Rabbits began to pounce forth from the shrubbery and fly towards the three of them, however none could touch them as Yoriichi effortlessly redirected their trajectory into the nearby trees.

"Lightning! Lightning!" Yunyun cried out as a roar crackled past him and towards the horde of horded fiends, immediately killing any of the creatures in its arc. "Why did they have to be so cute!? They even go chu—!"

The volley of rabbits lunging continued for a bit longer, while Yunyun continued to launch powerful intermediate magic spells from behind the protection which Yoriichi provided.

While this was going on, he could only wonder what Megumin was doing? Perhaps waiting for the proper opportunity to utilize her spell? Or maybe keeping an eye on their flank?

Then there was a lull in the rabbits assault as they backed off for the moment.

Turning to the girls, he first saw Yunyun, while she didn't look winded yet, she was certainly in need of a breather.

However, he saw Megumin was looking as fresh as spring water, walking towards the rabbits which were stuck to the tree. From the conversation he had with her the other day, he had learned that she was an 'Explosion Mage'.

Apparently, she knew no other magic aside from the single spell which had the power to level buildings and fortifications, yet only stated she could cast it once a day. While he understood why many an adventurer did not wish to party with her because of the lack of versatility, he also knew a dangerous trump card when he saw one.

If used properly, it could end a battle before it's truly begun.

Still, there were in hostile territory, and simply standing around was not the advisable course of action.

"We should move out." Eyes back on the shrubbery, he maintained a guarded position. "They could—"

An audible snap from behind caused him to jump slightly, before turning around. When he looked over his shoulder, he found his eyes widening, as he had to admit what he saw was rather surprising.

Before him was the young Megumin going down the line of rabbits lodged in tree, and with a seemingly practiced motion, she easily ended their lives with her bare hands.

"That's probably for the best." She snapped the neck of that last one in that line of the tree, wiping her brow. "If there were that many, there has to be a colony nearby." Looking back to the two of them, she focused on him. "Something the matter?"

"No, I was simply caught off guard by your method of dealing with these rabbits." Blade in one hand, he gestured with it. "But—"

Feeling a presence behind him he immediately reacted by turning as quickly as he could, and deflecting the projectile once more.

"Hey watch it!" Megumin shouted out, and turning his head slightly, he could see that her hat was been stabbed into a tree. "You'd better fix it later!"

"My apologies."

Yoriichi focused back to the shrubbery, backing up only slightly. He could hear a large group of rabbits in the distance, and could see a few white pelts through the underbrush.

It seemed that if they did not move now, they would be surrounded.

"You go ahead, I'll cover our rear."

"Right!" Megumin grabbed her hat and looked to Yunyun. "Let's go!"

"Yoriichi-san are you sure?" She asked, concerned for his well-being. "We can help you fight them!"

"Save your magic." Yoriichi calmly stated, deflecting another two rabbits into a tree. "We might need it."

"O-ok." Yunyun looked back to Yoriichi, and with a nod, she moved with Megumin. "Let's go!"

The two began to run, and that was when the true horde of 'Horned Rabbits' appeared.

There was a swarm of at the lowest, fifty of them running out of the brush and into the open. Each one attempted to impale the lone swordsmen, most likely on instinct that with their vast numbers would eventually get through his defense and land a strike which would end his life.

He could see why they were dangerous.

They had an act which could fool those with sympathetic hearts and ultimately killed said individuals with 'one-hit'. If that failed, then they simply swarmed those that would fight them, ultimately wearing them out and consuming them.

To Yoriichi however, he knew that these attacks would never land.

For a number of minutes, he found himself on the defensive, redirecting the trajectory of rabbits into nearby trees so that they would be immobile, or beheading the dangerous creatures if deflection would not immediately result in the monster getting stuck in a tree.

While he would prefer not to kill them, he could not risk the rabbits redirecting their focus on the 'easier' prey.

Once more, there was a lull in the action as the rabbits not stuck or dead decided that they had bitten off more than they could chew, running back into the undergrowth. While he could not see them, he could still feel their gaze on him.

Still, his task was complete and he should move to find the two Arch-Wizards.

It was easy to pick up their trail, and he began to move with haste, as he did not wish for them to run into anything else without himself present.

If they did, he could only pray that they would be able to deal with the issue or hold out until his arrival.

As the tracks he followed got fresher and fresher, Yoriichi had to admit that he was surprised that they managed to cover much ground, but their separation wouldn't be for much longer. However, he suddenly felt the odd sensation that accompanied the casting of a spell. 'Mana' was pooling rapidly in the direction that he was running off to, which meant that someone or something was preparing something big.

Suddenly, a booming explosion was heard as the earth trembled and looking up, he could see a cyclone of flame pillar into the sky, the winds pushing in all directions and a wave of heat breezing past him.

He stopped for a moment, shocked by the power.

That had to be the 'explosion' spell that Megumin had been referring to, there was no way it wasn't… which was concerning if she felt the need to use it.

Shaking his head, he refocused as he doubled his efforts to reach them.

… …

Everything had happened so quickly.

First the three of them had accidently stumbled upon a colony Yoriichi-san had told them that he was going to cover their rear, and told them to run ahead.

While it seemed that none of the 'One-Hit Rabbits' were on their tail yet, it did not stop Megumin from continuing to run, despite the clear exertion the two of them were showing.

Stopping for the moment, they took a breather."

"Hey Megumin, you think we've made it far enough?" Yunyun asked nervously glancing back to where they ran from. "I hope Yoriichi-san is alright…" With a sigh, she leaned up against a tree. "Was it the right move to leave without him?"

"You saw him, deflecting the One-Hit rabbits like they were nothing." Megumin crudely imitated the artistic sword swings done by Yoriichi. "Woosh woosh, and those rabbits were stuck in the trees! If anything, I'm feeling a bit sorry for the rabbits!"

Yunyun nodded, a small smile developing at the corner of her lips.

"You're right Megumin."

Yoriichi was pretty cool there… She admitted to herself in her mind, how he effortlessly deflect the One-Hit Rabbits, and with that constant calm he exuded in the face of danger. So cool!

She thanked whichever God or Goddess had blessed her with such a companion. "So what—"

Yunyun cut herself off as she looked past Megumin and saw an ominous figure in the shadows, approaching their way.

"Yunyun?" Megumin tilted her head in confusion as she looked at her. "Are you alright?"

Yunyun felt tears well up at the edges of her eyes as her mouth opened. She tried to vocalize a scream, but only air came out.

The figure was as tall as the trees around them, and was exceptional at hiding its aura. It was only fifteen feet away from them at the most, yet it managed to sneak up on them.

"You look like you've seen a ghost?" Megumin slowly turned around and immediately she tensed up.

"Humans?" The figure spoke with a deep growl, leaning forward to observe them. "No, those eyes are too red. Crimson Demons."

The two of them would certainly be shrieking their lungs out if this situation had not been so terrifying.

Yunyun recalled everything she had learned from her time in the Red Prison, specifically her brief stint of self-taught summoning circles, she immediately recognized the signs of this being none other than a Greater Demon, a high leveled one at that.

Her muscles began to lock up and she found it hard to breath as she recognized the danger they were in now.

"My name is Hoost!" The entity proclaimed, flexing its wings and insanely large muscles. "I am not a giant kobold, but a greater demon, ordained to be a familiar to a certain shrimp in the future!" With that final proclamation, the Greater Demon known as Hoost looked to the two of them. "Well… how did you—"

"EXPLOSION!"

Megumin was the first to her senses first, launching the spell with a long cast time in seconds.

Since the Greater Demon had not expected it, it was caught in the epicenter of the spell. However, due to the close proximity, this also send the two of them flying backwards, causing her back to roughly hit the back of a tree, and when she hit the ground, she could barely register the world around her.

If she hadn't leveled up that day when she killed all those slimes, she was certain that she would've been unconscious.

Still, it did nothing for her hearing or her sight, as ears were ringing and the sudden flash of light caused the world around her to be a hazy mess.

Yunyun hoped that Megumin's Explosion had been enough to send the Demon back to Hell. Arnes had been a type of High-Level Demon, so certainly her explosion would be more than enough to deal with this demon in a similar manner… right?

A number of seconds passed in silence as the ash and dust had settled.

The clouds of debris slowly cleared and she could feel her heart drop as she looked into this newly created clearing.

The Greater Demon was still standing there, covered in ash and soot, looking like it hadn't taken any damage at all!

Its mouth moved, coughing up some soot and ash, but she could not hear what it was saying, as her ears were still ringing with that useless drone.

"- -ott- ad-, th- w- -ne -ty -ell." The ringing was lessening in intensity as the earth below them trembled, the Greater Demon taking step forward, it rolling its arms and neck. "—t -t's –at – sh—ld'—ex-ed fr—Cri-n Demons."

Yunyun tried to move back, only to find that it would be impossible with the tree behind herself, and there was no way she could simply grab Megumin and run without it giving chase.

"Oh, coming to already?" There was surprise in the Demon's voice. "Most are out longer when hit with an explosion shockwave." The Demon was roughly fifteen paces away, and she tried to get up, yet her body refused to move. "Still, I wa—"

Within the blink of an eye, its words were cut off as a blur of red first struck the neck.

The demon known as Hoost punched in retaliation as it whatever struck the demon had disappeared, moving its hand to cover the left side of it's neck with its left hand, black blood oozing between its fingers from the wound as it turned to see its attacker.

The demon turned fully around in that singular moment, and begun to speak, but she could not register what was said, as her widened eyes were focused on him. Any and all doubts and worries about their safety to disappeared as radiant swordsmen stood against this demon.

Yoriichi was atop a stone with a supernatural grace and serenity she didn't know existed, and the setting sun was perfectly positioned with the back of his head, and even the breeze was waving both his hair, his earrings in harmony.

In that moment, he truly was like a sun spirit, send from the heavens.

Terms used

Onee-san: Elder sister used in formal contexts. Used when referring to an elder female in public places or when a younger female has a close relationship with a non-relative that they look up to.

Boom, chapter done! Megumin and Yoriichi have officially met, and things look interesting as Yoriichi encounters his first Demon in this world.

Up to this point, he's been defeating the small fry, but for a real enemy will be quite the treat, especially since Hoost has been able to tank one-shot attacks such as Gram's magical strike and Aqua's exorcism, so i find it very believable that his claims of tanking an explosion to be true.

Now to answer reviews!

KenjiApex: Yup, the man has no idea whatsoever, but he'll learn soon enough. The letter-number combo is probably going to be the best way to compare the difference between those with Tier X and those with lower tiers.

I haven't thought too much about upgrades to equipment, but ill keep these suggestions in mind for later!

Seeking the Miraculous Dream: Glad you think my story is cool! Yoriichi in canon KnY is an enigma and there aren't many fics out there with him as the lead role, so I figured I'd try it out.

I love Uta as a character given the brief glimpses we have in the main story, yet I'm still undecided on many things, so we'll have to wait and see.

Nehz XZX: I had to search up a number of times to be sure that I wasn't making wrong assumptions on what foods they had available, so it was interesting to learn that potatoes weren't even introduced to Japan until 1601, roughly a century after Yoriichi's death. His first fight with non-toads, the slimes, was a bit of a difficult one for me to write because of my expectations of Yoriichi as well, but given how crazy this world is, he's gonna have to face enemies that don't exactly follow the laws of nature he's used to, so this was a good introduction before fighting the actual dangers.

I will admit, the damages in the fight between demons and slayers are probably somewhere in that middle ground to what we've discussed, maybe more damage than I'm willing to admit, but one thing's for certain, the power levels in Konosuba are much more evident and two particularly strong combatants could likely level whole cities if the fighting gets out of control. Still we'll see if Yoriichi is up to the task against Intermediate and Advanced spells.

Yorozuya Forever: Yoriichi is the perfect party member for Yunyun, as he isn't super demanding nor a weirdo like many of the men we see in the Explosions spin off. Yoriichi does seem like the type of person to take everything in stride, though I like to think he would be surprised by a thing or two here and there.

ShinySpiritomb (Guest): Yoriichi was described to be loved by animals and bugs, so being friends with the more animalistic side of a 'sealed god' isn't too far of a stretch right? Kazuma and Aqua might want his strength, but I have yet to decide if that the moment Aqua learns who sent Yoriichi, if she'd change her tune.

For the memory-friendship ball, an interesting idea, yet the orb specifically displays embarrassing events, though this is a story so perhaps some alterations could be made… we'll have to see!

GoddammitMichael1: Thank you for the compliments! I do agree that my pacing of this story is a bit on the slower side, but it is mostly because of the time I chose to have Yoriichi be involved in the plot, the Hoost Arc. I do hope to speed up things in a similar fashion that the LN's do once this arc is complete.

For the more eccentric characters, I won't lie, I might have some difficulty but I hope that some of the comments and other material will help shed some light on their personalities and lead me to a more 'accurate' depiction.

Comments pertaining to potential ships/pairings: While the idea of potential ships and parings has been brought up a number of times in comments, I believe it is a bit too early to give a definite 'yes or no' answer to the question.

I won't lie, it has crossed my mind a number of times and while I am not opposed to the idea of romance for Yoriichi, I can also see why he wouldn't go for it. I'll put a vote on my profile and see what's the general opinion to it and work from there.

…

There you have it!

I'll have the next chapter out whenever, feel free to leave a review, whether it's a simple statement of my story or some predicting and the like!