Facing a Greater Demon

Less than thirty seconds later, he reached the site at which this detonation had occurred, and what he saw before him was unlike anything he had seen before.

What stood before him was a large clearing, one which was undoubtedly made by the spell he had witnessed. The earth was scorched by flames, stones either superheated or molten in their entirety, and trees were seemingly turned to charcoal where they stood. The only smells in the air were that of the charred trees and the ashy smoke.

If he had not been informed of what 'Explosion' magic was and the potential aftermath of such a mighty spell, he might have believed that this was a divine punishment.

A twitch at the epicenter of where he believed the explosion was cast caused his eyes to focus in the quickly disappearing plume of soot and smoke. There stood a giant figure, no larger than twenty shaku in height and ten shaku wide.

It was currently covered in ash and soot, but he could see that underneath that its skin was the same color of a feather from a black wood pigeon, black skin with metallic luster. It had large wings adorned on its back, and two large horns protruding from its forehead with teeth at least the length of his head, and finally a lizard's tail on its rear.

The aura radiating off the entity was not as overtly malicious and violent like Kibutsuji, however it did not feel the same as the lake the inherent calmness and nobility that he remembered from Waxing Moon One.

One thing was that he did not doubt; it was a demonic presence.

And that would mean that this had to be the rumored demon that Megumin mentioned.

"That was rude…" The voice of the Demon echoed through the silent clearing, coughing up some ash as it looking in a different direction, not having yet noticed him. "If you didn't like my introduction, you could've just said so."

Yoriichi hopped up onto one of the trees at the edge of the clearing, trying to find the two Arch-Wizards first. It only took a moment for him to find both of them, and their position was rather unfavorable.

Megumin was lying in the ground face first, and not too far from her was Yunyun, leaned up against a tree. Perhaps being in such close proximity caused her to fly back into it? Regardless, he could tell that she was dazed, not completely coherent of her surroundings.

Without wasting a second, he began to hop from branch to branch as he sought to get closer to them, as he needed to deal with this demon before it decided to eat them.

Activating the Transparent World, he could see into the Demon, and what was before him was completely new. Sure, there were lungs, a brain, heart, bones, muscles and many other organs one would expect to be within a demon, however there were a number of additional organs or lack thereof which suggested new unknowns which might be problematic, if Yoriichi didn't count the fact that the Demon was standing in the sun an issue enough.

Yoriichi had to remind himself that he was in a different world, and to be careful when making assumptions about this demon's capabilities.

If he tried to apply the logic of Nippon, then it was likely he would make a mistake which very well might take his own life, or those he wished to protect.

Soon the Demon's muscles rippled under its flesh, the monster trying to limber itself up after the attack it just took.

"I gotta admit, that was one nasty spell, took quite a bit of my mana to resist." The Demon began to move forward, bones cracking as it rolled its arms and neck. "Almost on par with my master." The ground trembled with each step, each one bringing it closer to the downed Arch-Wizards. "But it's what I should've expected from Crimson Demons."

Almost in position, he could see that Yunyun had finally realized the precarious nature if her position.

"Oh, coming to already?" The Demon sounded surprised, and Yunyun had finally sat up, registering what had just happened. "Most are out longer when hit with an explosions shockwave." The Demon was at least fifteen shaku and closing, and Yunyun was paralyzed with fear. "Still, I wa—"

Once in range he lunged, and to an outside observer, it appeared that the swordsmen in red simply disappeared in a flash of fire, reappearing slightly above the Demon the ground and sky on opposite planes, blade coated in phantasmal solar flames as he prepared to launch an angled circular slash.

There were no doubts that the blade would make contact with the left side of the entity's neck, yet what happened next was not entirely expected.

The crimson red blade did cut into the flesh, the initial impact easily cleaving six sun into the thick neck, before being met with unexcepted resistance. Eyes immediately focused on the movement of the muscles within the neck were tensing up, and what he saw surprised him.

Once the creature had registered that it was being harmed, the muscle fibers within its neck began to tense up and began to take more time to slice through, along with the increased concentration of mana pooling in its neck.

I see now. Still upside-down in this see-through world, he knew what was happening. It's using magic

If cutting the neck of the Progenitor of Demons was like cutting paper, then this must be the equivalent to trying to shear through a boulder.

Eyes focused on the head of the demon now, he could see it was turning to him with considerable speed, and judging from the way the right shoulder muscles tensed up, he could see that that this demon was preparing a punch.

The blade only sliced another sun deeper, and the punch was now incoming.

Realizing that he would not have enough time to slice through, he planted his feet onto its back, pulling his blade out as he sprung off. The demon was only able to punch the space he once occupied as he flew through the air, expertly landing on a stone.

The demon hissed as its hand covered the wound on its neck, black ichor oozing from the slash.

"It has been a while since someone got the jump on me like that… an Assassin class adventurer? Is that why my wound isn't healing?" The demon turned around, and after a moment of scanning the clearing, its eyes landed onto him. "No, assassins are full of killing intent and you're a blank… and despite looking like one, you aren't a Crimson Demon. Eyes aren't the proper shade." Lowering his hand from the wound, Yoriichi could see that the wound had not healed, but ichor had stopped pouring out of it. "A Swordmaster perhaps? The renowned Magic Sword User I've heard about?"

"Magic Sword User?" Yoriichi's crimson blade was in what was known as Chudan-no-kamae, a rudimentary stance according to the pillars of his time. "I've never been called that."

"Wielder of Gram?" The demon elaborated further, still on guard. "The up-and-coming hero-candidate that can kill demons with the invocation of its name?"

"My blade can do no such thing."

"I see… perhaps we got off on the wrong foot here." The demon relaxed slightly, as if not being this 'Magic Sword User' was a good thing. "I don't want to fight if I don't need to."

Looking past the demon, he could see Yunyun's gaze on him, perhaps she was still dazed and recovering? If that was the case, he needed to buy them some time and if this demon was in a conversing mood, then he should take advantage of it.

"Very well." Yoriichi remained on guard. "We will speak."

"Great!" The monster seemed please with his response. "I am a Greater Demon, Aide to Lady Wolbach and future vassal of a certain brat, my name is Hoost!" There was confirmation of his status of a demon, and emphasis on its title as it soon gestured to him. "And you are?"

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni." The swordsmen introduced himself. "I am an adventurer."

"An adventurer?" Hoost tilted its head, it inquired further. "The Job class or just a member of the guild?"

"The job class."

"Hm?" Eyes narrowing, it was trying to find something in his words. "I sense no lie, so you are either telling the truth, or have perfected the art of lying."

"I have no reason to lie."

"Right… look here..." Hoost sat down now trying to make itself look less intimidating, if such a thing was possible. "Theres something off about you that gives me the heebie-jeebies, and I don't want any more trouble with any Crimson Demons." The Demon gestured behind itself as its clawed hands on its chin. "So I'll cut a deal, if you put that sword away and take your Crimson Demon buddies away, I will give my word that I will not pursue."

"To trust the deal of a demon?" Yoriichi raised his brow slightly, especially since the offer presented was weighted in their favor. "Do not take it as an insult if I cannot trust your word."

"We do not break our deals if one is made." The demon gestured with an open palm, showing no signs of being offended, and Yoriichi could not sense any deceit from the statement. "This is an unbreakable rule for us demons, so when I tell you I give my word that there will be no trouble today, then there will be no trouble."

While the offer presented seemed genuine, and the demon that stood here seemed completely honest, if a fight could be avoided, he was tempted to take the offer, but the sighting of a demon was never a good portent of events to come.

"A demon does not simply idle around a town for nothing." Yoriichi remained stalwart where he stood. "What is your purpose here?"

"I am searching for an ebon magical beast in this area." Hoost used a claw to draw in the ground, a crude depiction of a four-legged beast could be seen atop the rock he stood on. "Very dangerous, so in all honesty, I'm doing a favor for this town by handling this matter."

"And if you obtain this beast? What does your Lady intend on doing with it?"

"That is not relevant to this deal." Hoost did not fall for the attempt to gather more information. "I've put out an offer, so what's it going to be?"

Past the demon, he could see that Yunyun had managed to rouse Megumin, and while the smaller girl looked like she was struggling to move, it would have to do.

"Seeing that you are a demon, I must ask. Are you aligned with the Demon King?" Yoriichi's demeanor remained as what many had called 'aloof'. "Is your 'Lady Wolbach' aligned with the Demon King?"

There was silence for a moment before the demon responded earnestly.

"Lady Wolbach is." The demon stood up to its full height. "Should I take this as a refusal of the offer?"

"You serve the Demon King's vassal." Yoriichi's blade moved slightly. "I cannot accept your terms."

"A shame." For what it was worth, Hoost seemed sincerely disappointed that their deal could not be made.

Still, with negotiations having concluded between the two, both stood roughly thirty shaku across from one another.

"Let's begin."

Muscles in the demon's right arm began to twitch, causing Yoriichi to immediately burst forth, preparing a technique to use he closed the distance.

Hoost lifted up its hand as quickly as it could, and the veteran swordsman could feel more and more mana being drawn in, more than what Yunyun's Intermediate spells normally used, but not to the extent of what he had felt earlier. If he had to guess, this was Advanced Magic.

By the time Yoriichi had closed the distance, a raging fire radiating with violent energy made itself manifest in its hand.

Inhaling as much air as he could into his lungs, he prepared to react.

"Inferno!"

To the demon, it appeared that Yoriichi did not move at all, and to those who could not perceive the battle as they did, it seemed as if he had simply took the spell head on.

Yet the lack of reaction and noise that came with being burnt alive clued the demon in that his foe was not dead, nor even in the flame. If that was the case, that would mean that he had vanished into thin air, which would be an issue.

Sun Breathing – Fake Rainbow.

Yoriichi found himself in the air, thanks to a simple hop and series of rapid twists, and using the momentum gained from the evasive technique, he put as much force as he could into a singular downwards slash directly targeting the wound that had not closed.

Sun Breathing – Dance

Phantasmal flames followed the blade as it made its way to its target, the wound made moments ago.

Hoosts eyes widened as the demon realized that the threat was very near, and moved to rectify it.

Using its wings, it propelled itself to the right, and with a surge of mana infused its left arm, clearly planning to parry the strike.

The strike did not deflect off as it hoped, instead, the blade cut straight into the flesh. With the slash cleaving its way down the length of its forearm, Yoriichi did not give up the assault.

Sun Breathing – Burning Bones, Summer Sun.

The blade returned upwards slicing the length of its forearm in a singular spiraling slash, causing black ichor to spurt forth from the wounds caused. Once more Yoriichi could sense mana flowing to its arm as muscle was once again seemingly reinforced.

While this would have cleaved through the arm of any demon the size of a regular human, Hoost's arm were at least six to eight sun thick, something not unmanageable, but certainly made things more difficult.

The demon gritted its monstrous teeth in pain as it felt the pain caused by a red-hot blade, soon throwing a retaliatory swing with its other arm, using its wings to augment the speed of its attack.

Yoriichi had yet to touch the ground which left him in what most other Demon Slayers would call an untenable position, yet he did not waver or fear. With a deep breath, he swung with such force he once more found himself swirling through the air.

Sun Breathing – Fake Rainbow

The punch once again only hit air, and once both feet touched the ground, he crouched down, and with the might of a tiger who has found its prey, he sprung forth. Once more, he breathed, launching another technique, instead of a wide slash, he aimed for a single pinpoint location.

Sun Breathing – Sunflower Thrust

Yoriichi's goal was simple. To impale its throat and cut outwards.

Hoost had one hand covering the wound from the ambush and the other too outstretched to effectively use a spell. With luck, he would only need to do this once, as another good combination of techniques would lead to its beheading.

Yet it seemed that it would not be that straightforward, as when he sensed the flow of mana pooling at the creatures face, he quickly realized he needed to change his plan, or be reduced to ashes.

"Inferno!"

Bringing his feet up to the Demons gut, he kicked off to the right, narrowly avoiding the spell, feeling the heat of the flames through his kimono.

Despite his naturally high body temperature, the radiant swordsman could feel sweat drops form on his face and a thin layer of sweat forming on the left side of his body from the extreme temperature that radiated from said spell.

Yoriichi had a feeling that being hit by that spell would spell the end of him.

Once on solid ground, he proceeded to dash to the right of the demon, staying ahead of the spell in order to avoid incineration.

When the spell concluded, he rushed the demon, knowing full well that it would have little time to react to a rapid flurry of blows.

Katana positioned to his back-left, the first swing slicing directly into the back of its knee, causing the leg and muscle to no longer be able to support its weight, causing the demon to slowly begin falling onto its right knee.

Bringing the cutting edge to his back-right, the second swing sliced into its lower abdomen before promptly reversing his swing diagonally downwards, slashing once again intersecting the slash with the previous wound.

With the momentum from his third slash, he was brought off the ground briefly in an upwards slash, going up the length of its side and before it was concluded with a downwards slash into its right shoulder, leaving a deep wound as he withdrew.

Despite such wounds, the demon once more drew mana in and casted the spell 'Inferno' at him, attempting to trail the flames so it would finally hit him, but the attempt was met with a quick dodge and a sprint in the opposite direction.

"You're a slippery one, I'll give you that!" The demon shouted, looking over the wounds it received. "But two can play that game!" The demon deciding on defensive tactics now, had propel itself towards the sky, and pointed both of its palm down towards him. "I didn't want to waste this much mana on a single target, but you've left me no choice!"

Yoriichi could sense vast quantities of mana being drawn directly towards the Demon.

"Let's see if you can dodge this!" A complex series of gestures were done with both of its hands, before finally outstretched arms revealed two large balls of blue flame, before merging them together. "Hellfire!"

With a roar, the ball of fire hovered above the clearing, and began to rain blue flames down.

A torrent of blue flames began to randomly crash down from the heavens into the battlefield, causing the earth that each flame landed in to immediately turn into molten ground, splashing molten earth in its nearby area.

That was not the end of it either, as a few seconds after the flames would touch the ground, they would explode upwards in a dangerous pillar of fire, forcing Yoriichi to not only have to dance around the flames falling from above, but those that sprouted from below.

Not good. Yoriichi thought to himself as he avoided another burst of flame sprouting up from the ground. So long as it remains there, I am incapable of stopping it.

He had no bow or arrow, nor was he capable of casting any magics which would allow for him to attack from this distance, and he doubted that throwing rocks from a quickly made sling would even harm it.

To make matters worse, the quality of the air was rapidly deteriorating due to the increasing heat and flames. While it was not affecting him now, he knew that it would have to be a factor that will have an adverse effect on him and should be taken into account.

No matter how talented the swordsman, if he could not breathe, he would fall.

Eyes darting to the left and right of the clearing, he needed some way, any way to attack the demon.

The trees?True some of the trees were just as tall as the demon, and a few of them twice that height, however none could match the heavens it soared. Even if he was to jump from it, he could never be able to reach its height.

With no viable alternatives, he the situation was beginning to look dire.

Suddenly, he felt the release of a spell, like the sound of an arrow taking flight.

"Lightning!"

From the tree line, a bolt of gold shot out towards the sky hitting the demon head on, causing the demon to fall down slightly and causing the blue ball of flame to quickly swell up before the magical flames petered out into nothing-ness.

The red swordsman quickly caught sight of Yunyun, who was ducking behind trees to avoid being spotted, running towards another location as he could feel the magic in the air around her humming to life. She must have repositioned herself in order to help… but if she did then where was Megumin?

With a quick glance, he could see that Megumin was moved only a short distance away from where they had been found, positioned behind a stone in a manner which allowed for her to see the battle as it unfolded.

"Damn!" The demon recoiled back, wincing in pain as the static travelled all over its body. "Completely forgot you two were here!"

"Lightning!"

Another bolt of lightning cracked through the silence as electricity pulsated throughout the demons body, causing it to seize up for a moment, dropping a for a bit more before catching itself once more.

"Where are you?" The demon turned to the direction in which the attack had come from, revealing its wings to him. "This is why I didn't want any beef with Crimson Demons!"

This time, she nearly tripped, forcing her to lean up against the leaning against a tree with labored breath and sweat beads running down her face. The young Arch-Wizard tried to get running once more, but seemingly could not summon the strength to do so.

It seemed that to even remain standing was a strenuous task, most likely a side effect of having put too much mana into that spell. After all, if the demon had felt it, then Yunyun must have put a lot into her attack.

However thanks to her actions, a unique opportunity had opened up for him.

This was the chance he needed chance.

Eyes scanning the clearing, he knew he only had less than a few seconds to act, but it was more than enough time.

He managed to locate one of the trees he had passed earlier, roughly fifty shaku tall across the clearing, and while the lower half of the tree was burning, the upper half had yet to be engulfed in flames.

It was perfect, but one misstep might cause a branch to snap and cause him to fall, but if he didn't take the risk, he may not get this opportunity again.

The demons gaze landed in the area near where Yunyun was hiding, preparing to cast her spell again, however he could see that there was barely any mana pooling at her hands now.

Yoriichi needed to take the risk.

With explosive speed rushed to it, following up with mighty leap, clearing roughly twenty shaku, doing his best to avoid the charred branches, and powering through the extreme heat on his skin.

"There you are!" White eyes landed onto the young lady, who jumped slightly at being directly addressed.

"Li-lightning!"

Her spell might've hit, if the demon was not on guard for it.

"That's enough! I'll make short work of you and then destroy that swordsman!"

Once more, mana pooled at its palm, and fiery sparks came to life.

A glance towards his blade as he prepared to make his next jump, a blade was made for slicing, and while most swordsmiths would gasp at the idea, they could be thrown.

More and more mana pooled at its hand, preparing to bathe the entire area Yunyun was standing in flames.

With his second jump, he noted how pliable the branches were, perfect to land and jump, the plan was coming together. Reaching the forty-shaku mark, he didn't have any more time to spare. While he would've preferred the topmost branches, this would have to do.

The mana it was channeling was nearing its peak.

Reversing his grip in his right hand, he did one final jump.

Extending his left arm out, he took a split second make sure that his aim would be true, and from his view, the wings were in sight and with enough force in this throw, the flapping would do nothing to stop his blade.

With an inhale, he focused all of his breath into his right arm. He had done everything he could, and now all he had to do was act.

A silent prayer to the Sun Goddess was offered as he let his sword fly, and for a moment, he saw the phantasmal flames morph into a yatagarasu.

This was it.

Clearing his mind, there was only one task on his mind.

To destroy this demon.

With an exhale, his descent as he witnessed the crimson red blade fly upwards

The spell reached critical mass as it was ready to cast.

"You might've lived if you stayed out of this, now it's time to die!" The demon shouted as its open palm, if undisturbed there was no way for the spell to miss its target. "Inferno-?!"

The blade managed to strike true, piecing through the membrane of the first wing and the boney bit of the second wing, clamping them together. The sudden weightlessness caused the demon to begin its uncontrolled descent, falling back first.

This caused the spell to go awry and miss its intended target, a pillar of flame briefly incinerating the canopy of the trees Yunyun was hiding under, and continued towards the sky before it fizzled out.

And speaking of falling, a moment of airiness and a quick twist, Yoriichi was able to easily land on the branch, and to his luck, the branch not only held his weight, but flexed downwards much like the Hazu-kamuri-bushi of a yumi does before a shot is fired, providing him the extra boost he needed to propel himself to the falling demon.

Flinging himself towards the demon, he could see it roll so that it was back towards the sky, trying its best to reach the sword which had lodged itself in its wings to no success.

As true as an arrow, he hit his mark as he managed to grab the grip of blade, tearing into its wing before coming to a halt, the two now in freefall.

Knowing he was in the perfect position to stop it from flying again, he did not waste a second as he steadied his footing on its back, easily slicing through the wing membrane, expertly aiming for the joint that connected said wings to its back as he unleashed a technique.

Sun Breathing – Raging Sun.

Two crescent slashes easily cleaved through the joints, and with a howl of pain from the demon, he saw the wings separate in their own directions as he and Hoost continued to plummet.

With only seconds before impact, Yoriichi jumped off the demons back and dove into a roll as he hit the ground with less grace than he was known for, yet it took him only a few seconds to orient himself and prepare for any attack the Demon may have planned.

Yet none came as the Wielder of the First Breath could see the Greater Demon face first in the battle-scarred earth. Slowly approaching with his guard up, he could hear it mumbling to itself.

"An 'adventurer' huh… of course my luck would have it be like this …" The demon gritted its unnaturally large teeth as it punched the ground, struggling to rise. "Almost out of mana with no way and nowhere to run…" After some effort, it got onto its one good foot, looking directly at him, though quite clearly worn. "To be put on the brink like this… by a single combatant… its rather impressive to think someone who isn't that Magic Sword User could do it."

With a sigh, the demon looked to him.

"You have me beat…" The demon's hand clenched, and he knew it had resolved itself here and now. "But don't think I will lay down and die."

A final roar as the last of its mana began to pool at its hand, trying to cast one final spell in defiance.

Yet Yoriichi would not let it be cast.

Quickly clearing the distance between himself and the demon, he first sprung onto its hand, and with another jump easily cleared the height of the Demon.

His breath was even as he focused it into his technique, the corners of his lips, he could see the radiant flames entering his body as veins budged to fuel this move. The crimson red blade coating itself with phantasmal solar flames with such vitality that one might mistake it for some form of divine judgement.

Eyes focused on the glaring wound on its neck, his blade entered it with unnatural precision.

Sun Breathing – Setting Sun Transformation.

Heated steel easily slid into the wound, meeting little resistance as it struck the deepest section of it.

Either realizing that it would never be able to finish casting its spell or perhaps registering the extreme heat from the blade, Hoosts pure white eyes widened as he realized the direness of this situation.

Mana diverted from its hand to its neck, fueling its unnatural resistance most likely hoping to stall for time a little bit longer, but this did little as his crimson blade met the last vestiges of opposition as his single-minded focus on this technique continued to drive the blade forward.

One sun became two, and two became four.

The demon's muscles began to desperately tense up as a punch made its way to his body, yet Yoriichi knew it would never land.

Four sun became six, and with a resounding slash of metal rending flesh asunder echoed battle torn clearing, Yoriichi kicking off the demons back to landed some fifteen odd shaku away.

Yoriichi walked a few steps forward, before turning back to the demon.

He needed to be on guard in case this demon had a way to escape still.

Turning back to the demon, he could see Hoost trying to keep its head connected to its body, but this did not stop white cracks from appearing all over the demons body. Slowly these cracks turned into crevices, and then finally, the arms began to give away, filling the air with the acrid scent of sulfur.

"This was a life wasted." Hoosts let out a deep sigh as it could no longer hold its head in place, finally separating from its body.

The legs soon followed as they could no longer bear the weight of the body, causing it to fall backwards with a thump, causing the ground he stood on to shake.

The demons head had settled in the upturned soil, and despite having no pupils, he felt its gaze on him.

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni… that was your name?" The demon asked as it closed its eyes. "The next time we meet, I hope we are not enemies."

Yoriichi opened his mouth to speak, but the rest of the head turned to dust and was blown away by the breeze.

With the threat dealt with, he blinked, and the world around him looked like a hellscape. Flames burned this section of the lush forest and the fire continued to spread outwards.

Inspecting his blade, the crimson faded as it slowly turned back to its obsidian hue. Flicking off the remaining black blood that stained his blade, he let out a breath as he sheathed his blade with a click.

The next task in the order of Demon Slaying was to check up on those in the area.

It didn't take him long to find the both of them.

The wielder of Intermediate Magic leaning up against the tree, covered in soot and grime kicked up during the fight between himself and the demon, and the Explosion mage while covered in dust, looked no worse for wear.

In fact, Megumin actually seeming more energized than she had mere minutes ago lying face first in the ground, whereas Yunyun was rather pale and he could see small stripes that had run down her face, probably from tears. She was taking deep breaths in and out, most likely trying to calm herself from the harrowing experience.

"Yunyun-san, Megumin-san, are you alright?" He asked as he approached.

"That… was… AMAZING!" Megumin was the first one to turn to him, lifting up her eye patch, to which he saw both eyes sparkling brightly as she looked at him. "The way you stood on that stone, talking to that demon while we were getting up,

She began to excitedly walk in place, the energy practically trembling off of her. "He tried to give you a deal, and you told him 'I can't accept that', and then he went 'Grahh!'' and the way your sword moved!"

The young lady exaggerated his feats, and did a humble imitation of his Sun Breathing Techniques with her staff.

"It was like… like…" Megumin gestured with her hand, trying to find the exact word, but after a few seconds settled on a different word. "…like so awesome!" She grabbed her staff and stood on her tippy toes, looking right at him. "And your sword! It wasn't red when you fought the One-Hit Rabbits! Is it enchanted? Cursed?" She jittered in place. "So amazing! Super amazing!"

For emphasis, she calmed her face as best as she could, while mimicking sword swings with her staff.

"Megumin-san please don't overexaggerate..." Yoriichi put his hands up, attempting to deflect the praise. "It was nothing."

He had a lifetime's worth of this reaction, and it never got any less embarrassing for him to stand there and hear it.

"Yoriichi-san…" Yunyun now having regained some her the color in her face, having turned to him still relying on the tree to keep her up. "you… you did it!"

Tears began to well up at the edges of her eyes.

"I-I was so worried when it shot that Inferno spell at you… one moment you were there, and the next…" Bringing a hand to wipe some of the tears, she sniffled. "And then when it flew into the sky, and started raining that spell down… I thought we'd all get incinerated but…"

"When the Demon got near, I was concern for the safety of both of you, so please forgive my sudden intervention." Yoriichi dipped his head apologetically. "I am sorry for making you worry."

"A-ah! I should be the one apologizing Yoriichi-san!" Yunyun frantically waved her arms. "We got into danger, and you had to save us… so please don't bow!" The Arch-Wizard took a moment to let her apology sink in before a wide smile appeared on her face. "A-and besides… you defeated it! You actually beat it!"

Suddenly, a branch fell from high above and landed nearby, flames consuming it, causing the two Crimson Demons to jump.

Right… they were standing near an active wild fire.

"We should leave." Yoriichi quickly looked to them, preparing himself to lift them up if need be. "Can you two walk?"

"We'll manage." Megumin offered a hand and the exhausted Arch-Wizards leaned onto one another for support. "Yoriichi can you keep an eye out for danger?"

With a nod, the three of them began the trek back to Axel, putting this fiery clearing behind them.

…

The three of them got back to the town of Axel as the hue of the heavens turned to red, getting in with no issues.

Unlike earlier where the two Crimson Demons had been discussing their victory against Hoost with great excitement, the fires of elation had finally petered out and left them in ghoulish states.

Megumin who walked beside him walked sluggishly as she used her staff to keep herself standing proper, eyes struggling to stay awake as if she had not had a wink of sleep in the past week.

Yunyun on the other hand, had been long since passed out. The moment they were out of the forest and in no immediate danger, the young lady had slumped over and practically fallen asleep on Megumin's shoulder.

Megumin had tried to wake her up, but it was clear that she was exhausted, and with 'strength not being a primary stat for Arch-Wizards according to Megumin, the task fell to him to carry the spent young lady for the remainder of the journey.

So in his arms was Yunyun, shoulder leaned up on his shoulder, and a trickle of drool which had been seeping into the fabric.

Looking down at her, he hadn't realized how small she was compared to him. The height difference was 'obvious', but it was something he quite often forgot about, especially with members of the corps, one such instance being when he had a brief run in with the first Flower Pillar.

She was a young lady not too much older than Yunyun or Megumin, a survivor of her clans destruction and a victim of the kin of Kibutsuji.

A talented young lady in the arts of naginatajutsu, he recalled that their first encounter was not at pleasant as he wished it to be, but when one is known for being 'disgraced' from the corps, many individuals make assumptions based on truth or fiction.

Sometimes he wondered what had happened to her. Did she live a long life? Did she die young like many other slayers? Did her brief meeting with him cause her to awaken a mark?

So many questions, yet none he would have the answer to.

"Yoriichi." The voice of Megumin broke him out of his musings. "We're almost here."

With a blink, he looked around and quickly saw the tower with the many horns that originated from it.

"We are."

"You should probably wake up Yunyun then." Megumin let out a yawn as she continued to maintain a steady walking pace with her staff. "Best have her get her bearings out here than in there."

"If you believe that to be best." Using the hand that was supporting her back, he nudged her. "Excuse me, Yunyun-san?"

After a moment of nudging, Yunyun slowly stirred to.

"Mhm… hm?" With a smack of her lips, her eyes slowly adjusted to her surroundings. "Yoriichi? Where are we?"

"We're back at Axel." Megumin spoke up, looking at her. "Hurry up and get your bearings."

"Hm? Oh morning Megumin…" Rubbing her eyes, she let out a yawn as she was still coming to. "I had the strangest dream…" With a final set of blinks, using a hand to wipe off her face, crimson eyes were confused as she looked to him. "Eh?"

"Megumin could not carry you, so she asked for me to do it."

"Huh?!"

Quickly, she hid her face behind her hands as she turned away bashfully, though he could see the redness pooling at the tips of her ears.

"Yo-yoriichi-san." She stammered out. "Pl-pl-please put me down."

With great care, he did as she asked, and only once she was certain that she could stand on her own did she let go of his sleeve.

"Sorry for making you carrying me." Yunyun did not look up to him as her foot fidgeted in place. "I-I hope I didn't cause you trouble."

He was about to respond, however it seemed that Megumin wished to speak first.

"Oh? Whats this?" Megumin seemed genuinely curious for a moment before a cat-like smile appeared on her face. "Its like that Yunyun?"

"Wh-what? No!" Yunyun fervently denied whatever 'that' was. "I-I don't know what you mean!"

"Cradled up in a mans arm and sleeping so peacefully." Megumin cradled her staff while teasing her peer. "You even drooled all over him and he isn't getting mad."

"Eh?!" Yunyun looked over to the shoulder she had been resting on and sure enough there was a wet spot. "I-I-I am so sorry Yoriichi-san!"

"It's fine."

True, the spot where her head rested did feel uncomfortable, but considering that most of his outfit was stained with ash and soot, and some of the fabric having suffered some damage from the open flames that roared all over the place in that clearing, he supposed he would live.

Looking around, he could see a few passersby's looking at them, and few whispering, although he was certain it what was spoke was not with mal intent.

"Before we enter the guild. I have a favor to ask." Yoriichi interrupted the two's antics as the guild hall was in sight. "The both of you."

"Oh? A favor for the powerful Arch-Wizard?" Megumin's sounded intrigued as they continued to walk. "Then ask away Slayer of Hoost!"

"Anything!" Yunyun eagerly looked to him before shuffling. "Um—within reason!"

"If possible, I would like to ask that you keep what you saw in the forest to yourself."

Megumin looked shocked whereas Yunyun tilted her head in confusion

"Huh?!" The two of them stated in unison, tones reflecting their current look.

"But why?" Megumin tapped the staff on the ground loudly. "What you did was amazing! Everyone should know—"

"Y-yeah!" Yunyun nodded as she looked to him. "You're spec—"

"I am not." Yoriichi swiftly cut off them off, shaking his head. "You two were a big help." Yoriich gestured to them. "I am certain I couldn't have done it alone."

First, the swordsmen looked at the Explosion Mage.

"Hoost had stated that the spell took a lot out of him." With gratitude, he bowed his head. "Thank you, Megumin-san."

Once he finished his bow, he could see that Megumin's mouth was agape with shock and her eyes were glowing brightly.

Next, he looked to the User of Intermediate magic.

"Without your magic Yunyun-san, I am certain that I would've never gotten the chance to attack it as I did." Maroon eyes looked to the pile of ash that was once the Greater Demon. "It was very likely it would've gotten away." With a dip of his head, he expressed gratitude. "Thank you, Yunyun-san."

"I-it was no problem…" Yunyun returned to her bashful tendencies, looking away and playing with one of the braids in her hair, although he could see the genuine smile she tried to hide.

"W-well if that's the case, then don't expect me not to bring this up when someone asks me what I've done!" Megumin stood up tall, a smile across her face. "It's not every day a party gets to fight a direct aide to a Demon King General."

"Of course." Yoriichi bowed respectfully wished to tell her otherwise, but he could not rob her of that accolade. "We should collect our reward for the quest."

"Oh yeah right!" Megumin thought aloud. "Yunyun, your going to give him your card?"

"Yes… one moment." Yunyun patted her skirt, and with an 'aha!', she handed her guild card to him. "I'll select a table for us."

"And I'll order the food!" Megumin excitedly hopped. "I could really do with a triple frog deluxe!"

"Megumin we haven't even been paid yet!"

"It is no problem. I'll talk with Luna-sama about our reward." Reaching into his kimono, he pulled out a small leather pouch and from it he pulled out a few five-thousand Eris slips, handing the slightly crumpled slips to Yunyun. "Here is some Eris, order some good food for us please."

"R-really?" Yunyun reached out and took the slips. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." With a nod, he looked to them. "Good work today."

"Thank you, Yoriichi-san!" Yunyun bowed before running ahead, grabbing one of Megumin's sleeves. "

"Ah! Yunyun slow down!" Megumin cried out as the less exhausted of the two dragged her away.

A brief small smile appeared at the corners of his mouth before returning to his natural stoicism.

Following close behind, he saw a number of eyes landed on him, but few lingered, most likely presuming that he was returning from a rough quest.

As the two moved to their table, Yoriichi moved to the receptionist desk.

Unlike days prior, the desk manned by Luna was not that bogged down by adventurers, and so it made it easy for Yoriichi to speak with her.

"Yoriichi-dono." With respect, she gave a half-bow. Once she looked back up, her gaze first landed to his sides, and then slightly behind him before speaking. "I had heard you left the town with two Crimson Demons, are they here?"

"Luna-sama." Yoriichi returned the bow, soon pulling out his own card and Yunyun's card. "They are finding us a table."

"Ah…" Looking him up and down she tilted her head. "Rough day?"

He wasn't sure how to properly respond to that, but he believed that most people would consider being ambushed by Horned Rabbits and then encountering a High Level Demon in the service of one of the Demon Kings Vassals 'a rough day'.

"Somewhat."

"It happens to the best of us." Putting her hand over her mouth, she giggled. "Now, enough chit-chat."

"Right." With a nod, he pulled out both his own Guild Card and Yunyun's, placing it on the counter.

"Lets see here…" Taking the cards from the counter, she first looked at Yunyun's. "Three toads, one of which accounted for, oh! Some One-Hit Rabbits? Theres no active bounty on them but its good to see that a number of them are dealt with." Putting Yunyuns card down, she then picked up his. "You went up a level, congratulations! Now… Two toads… One-Hit Rabbits… huh?" She squinted as she looked closer at his card. "Eh?!"

Luna's sudden outburst garnered the attention of some of the nearby clerks and guild members, and suddenly he felt many eyes on his back.

"Luna-sama. Is something the matter?"

Looking up at him, he could see awe in glinting in those amber orbs.

"Yoriichi-dono…" Quietly, she turned the card to him, pointing at the last creature he had defeated. "I'm not reading this incorrectly… right?"

The creature she pointed to was 'Hoost the Greater Demon'.

"You are not."

"Oh my Goddess…" Eyes wide, she dropped the card on the counter as she fell back into her seat, doing what he believed to be a religious sign with her free hand, voice laced with concern. "Are you alright?! Were you hurt? And the Crimson Demons that were with you?"

"I am alright, unscathed, and the Crimson Demons are fine." Yoriichi lowered his voice and leaned in. "Luna-sama, please you are making a scene."

Yoriichi didn't like to do this, however he could feel at least fifteen eyes on him, and he could hear whispers of individuals describing the 'man speaking with Luna'.

"M-my apologies." The blonde coughed into her hand, hushing her tone to a whisper. "Its just that you insist that you're nobody special… and then do this…" Rubbing her temples, she seemed stressed. "Beginner adventurers don't fight Greater Demons, let alone slay them. Heroes do."

"I see…" Yoriichi frowned at the implications. "Is that all Luna-sama?"

"Since this is a Greater Demon… I'm going to need a report this to the head of this Guild Branch." Looking to him once more she sighed. "How about you come in the following day so I can get a more accurate report on this incident."

"If you are required to do this, then I will be here tomorrow."

"Thank you Yoriichi-dono." With a resigned sigh, counted out the reward for the toad slaying quest. "One-hundred twenty thousand Eris for a quest completed."

Putting the reward on the tray, she pushed it to him.

"Thank you." With a bow, he took the pay. "Have a nice night Luna-sama."

With a tired nod, she retreated into the area behind the counter.

The reward Eris in hand, he turned around to find to look for the two Crimson Demons, immediately noticing a lot more eyes on him.

It seemed that while nobody knew the real reason behind Luna's outburst, it didn't stop the speculation.

But that that was a problem for another time, as he soon spotted Yunyun, who was waving over to him.

Moving to them, the moment he was in earshot he could hear the young lady call out to him.

"Ah, Yoriichi-san!" Lowering her hand, she scooted over. "What took you so long?"

"The Guild Receptionist saw the Gre— saw Hoost on my card." Taking his seat next to Yunyun, he looked down at the number of platters of food. While Megumin had already started digging in, Yunyun had waited patiently. "You did not have to wait for me Yunyun-san."

"See! I told you he wouldn't mind!" Megumin spoke with her mouth half full, before going back to eating.

"Ah, well, I wanted to ask you something before we ate…" Yunyun began to tap her index fingers together, a tell that she was anxious about something. "You remember how we agreed to be a temporary party only for the toads…"

"I recall." Yoriichi took a plate and filled it with food, before placing it in front of Yunyun. "Is something the matter?"

"W-we-well I was thinking… maybe our temporary party could…" Yunyun began to speak, her voice no louder than a whisper. "I don't know… maybe be a…" She became redder as if embarrassed and shrunk deeper into her seat. "ma-maybe be a pe-pe-permeant party?"

Megumin had stopped eating, looking at the two with that similar look from earlier.

Before he could respond, she began to speak once again, this time with such speed that he nearly had difficulty registering the words.

"That is if you want! I mean you're so skill and talented you don't need a party but since we got along maybe we could be a party? Oh nevermind, just forg—"

"I do not mind." Yoriichi looked to her, and while his expression had not changed, he was earnest in his response. "I would be honored to be in a party with you, Yunyun-san."

The Arch-Wizard's eyes brightened up as she looked at him.

"R-really?!" Yunyun sounded overjoyed. "You mean it?!"

Yoriichi nodded,

"Thank you, Yoriichi-san!" Scooting close, she gave him a hug. "I promise that I'll do my best!"

Letting him go, she soon clasped her hands together.

"Thank you for the meal!"

Picking up utensils now, she began to eat with such fervor.

"And what of you Megumin-san?" Yoriichi looked to the young lady, who had been staring at them. "What will you do now?"

For a moment, it looked like she wanted to ask something, and there was this longing in her eyes before she tilted let a smile onto her face.

"Well, our clan's Fortune Teller said that I would meet my destined companions here in Axel." While it seemed genuine, Yoriichi felt that she was hiding her true feelings. "So I'll need to step up my game and find companions better than Yunyun!"

A few seconds passed before he nodded.

"I see then." Yoriichi dipped her head. "I wish you luck in your endeavor."

Putting his hands together, he gave thanks to the Gods for this day and for this victory against an ally of the Demon King, and thanks for the companions he shared this meal with.

Belzerg Bit: Changes to the Adventurer Card 2

Once more in the void, there was a small section of it fashioned like an office-space now, with a desk with a number of filing cabinets there, along with a premium spinning chair.

Instead of her royal regalia that she used to greet souls awaiting judgement, she was in a formal business outfit, suit top and blazer together.

A top the desk was a number of papers sprawled about, from what one could see, many of these papers had been filled out.

"…and done!" With a final signature and a stamp of her hanko, she organized them into a pile and placed them into the 'out' bin.

With a satisfied hum, the Goddess leaned back into her chair as she stretched upwards, before feeling a gaze upon her.

"Hello again!" She waved in no particular direction, pushing her chair out. "Lux here, just finishing up paperwork!"

The office space receding as she went behind a folding screen, her office clothes being thrown over it, and her silhouette showed her putting on different garments.

"Last time we talked about ability tiers which is tied directly to the growth potential of said stat." A chalkboard manifested in front of the screen, showing Kazuma's stat line. "Before there were no numerical values, but now there are, looking at Kazuma's stats, he has all C's with exception to his Intelligence at a B- and Luck at S-."

A piece of chalk floated over to the board and began scribing down numbers next to each letter, reading as follows:

Kazuma Satou Lvl.1

HP: C [13] / Strength: C [13] / Vitality C [13] / Magic-Pow: C [13] / Intelligence: C [13] / Agility C [13] / LUCK: S- [125]

"As you can see, Kazuma's level one stats are quite low, but are considered the average for reincarnated teenager of… shut-in build in the Heisei – Reiwa."

Underneath it, another name and stat line was being written, reading as follows:

Kyouya Mitsurugi Lvl.1

HP: C [15] / Strength: B- [20] / Vitality C [14] / Magic-Pow: C [13] / Intelligence: C+ [17] / Agility: A [25] / LUCK: C [13]

"As another reincarnated person, his baseline stats would be this and this alone, however…" The picture of the Cursed sword appeared, along with a new stat line. "The cheat item given to him by Aqua-chan improves his growth rates drastically."

Kyouya Mitsurugi Lvl.1 (Gram Variant)

HP: C [15] / Strength: S+ [50] / Vitality: S [45] / Magic-Pow: A [35] / Intelligence: C+ [17] / Agility: X [55] / LUCK: C [13]

"As long as he is not separated from Gram, he would receive the benefits of increased stat growth per level, and access to its unique ability which is basically a kill-laser." With a sigh she left the changing screen and looked at the drawing of the sword. "A useful and quite unoriginal item for a champion… but I'm sure you all want to see Yoriichi's stat-line, so I'll no longer keep you in suspense."

Taking the chalk, she wrote:

Yoriichi Tsugikuni Lvl.1

HP: A+ [30] / Strength: X [100] / Vitality: X [100] / Magic-Pow: A- [35] / Intelligence: X [50] / Agility: X [100]* / LUCK: C [15]

"The asterisk by the agility score is not including the benefits of the Transparent World, which basically acts as a two times multiplier, as it allows him to perceive the world around him much faster than any non-breath user or those with the ability to see the future."

"And before you ask, while the author has a makeshift system in place to track the growth rate, he is not confident in it yet and will most likely tinker around with it more." With a smile she pushed the board away. "If upper management can stop being indecisive about it, there will be a 'set in stone' system by Chapter 10… hopefully!"

With a sigh, the Fire Goddess looked in no particular direction.

"Next time, Yoriichi's day off!"

Terms Used

Chudan-no-kamae: 'Middle-Level Posture', the most basic sword posture in many sword school martial arts.

Yatagarasu: 'eight-span crow',Mythical crow with three legs and a guiding god in Shinto mythology.

Yumi: A Japanese longbow that is asymmetric. Central to the modern day art of Kyudo.

Hazu-kamuri-bushi: 'Below of the upper nock joint' section of a traditional Japanese bow.

Chapter Done! Originally, I had intended to release this with Chapter 6, however it was getting too lengthy, so I decided to put the conclusion and aftermath in a different chapter

Fun fact: Since I have one of those cosplay katanas made of wood, I actually had to do some swings to see how viable some of the swings I did were.

For some of the moves, I took from the Hinokami Chronicles game: Phoenix Flash and Scorching Rush.

On Hoost:

While I don't have Hoost's stat line, I gave him a few custom abilities!

I gave Hoost a passive and active resistance. Passive is fueled by his Vitality whereas the active could be fueled by mana to either completely heavily resist or outright negate attacks, as seen in the chapter. This is what allowed him to survive the Explosion without being debilitated, and the slash to the neck that got through his passive.

On top of that, he had a passive regeneration that would allow for him to reattach limbs and heal minor wounds (such as that slash to his neck), however it was completely negated due to the Crimson Red Blade.

And since Hoost proved willing to negotiate, Yoriichi would've considered it if the Demons goal wasn't directly supporting the Demon King or his Vassal.

Time to answer some reviews!

KenjiApex: Yep, though the time when Kazuma and the rest of the squad appear is rapidly approaching.

If I had to choose 3 characters to learn breath techniques, probably Kazuma, Yunyun, and maybe Iris. First two for character interactions and third one because Iris is an excitable child and Yoriichi might relent and teach her the basics at least.

Evilstatistic19: Didn't happen as quickly as one would've guessed, but Hoost did lose his head.

Nehz XZX: You've summed it up quite well. Yoriichi did have to adapt on the fly due to his enemy not instantly dying, but it worked out in the end.

It's the Demon Slayer Mark that improves all his physical stats, and by extension gives him that Transparent World. I see the Transparent World more as the user perceiving the world faster than what's happening around him, much like how the Sandevistan in Cyberpunk2077 works.

ShinySpiritomb(Guest): I'll keep this in mind, it'll be a few chapters before we reach the memory ball scene depending on how I rearrange the order of events.

Yorozuya Forever: I got some ideas cooking up, ideally sooner rather than later they'll be implemented.

Also an additional question, while I've read/skimmed the light novels and watched the anime, I will admit I can be a bit numbskulled when interpreting things: I know adventurers can learn any skill but do they only need to see the skill in action? Or does the intent of teaching need to be there and after performing said skill in their view they can selected it in their skills list?

Also, I've actually updated Of Katarns and Goblins, my Star Wars/Goblin Slayer Crossover!

Season 2 of Goblin Slayer has been a nice watch so far, and can't wait for more on that!

That's all!

Don't forget to answer the poll on my profile and I hope you all remain in good health and read good fics!