Demon Slayer: I Level Up Alone

Chapter 29

"Is this the mountain in front of me..."

Akito held Ritoruho as he arrived at the foot of the mountain named "Mount Kirishima."

From halfway down the mountain, the trees were dense, but above that, there was a thick smoke emanating.

"It seems this is an active volcano..."

Mount Kirishima in japan is a volcanic group located at the junction of Kagoshima Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture in southern Kyushu.

Above the halfway point, there were hardly any trees; it was bare, while below that, miasma was visibly spreading.

Since arriving at the foot of the mountain, Akito had already sensed a slight toxic gas in the air.

To be cautious, Akito took an antidote pill, as he wasn't sure if his constitution could withstand the miasma.

"Ritoruho, eat this."

Akito tried to feed the antidote pill to Ritoruho, but Ritoruho turned away, indicating that it wasn't needed, while also signaling to Akito that there were some unusual things on this mountain.

Akito looked and nodded; he could already feel that there were probably Demons present in this mountain, just not sure of their numbers...

Seeing Ritoruho's behavior, Akito woke up Kuro, wanting to give the antidote pill to him.

Kuro opened his eyes and shook his head.

"Master Akito, I won't enter the mountain; you'll have to rely on yourself from here on out..."

After digesting those five cleansing pills, Kuro was noticeably more articulate.

Akito didn't actually expect Kuro and Ritoruho to provide him much help now; he just wanted to ensure their safety.

But now that Kuro had made it clear he wouldn't enter the mountain, he could only go in with Ritoruho.

Suddenly, a roar came from the mountain, sounding like a beast but also like a Demon...

Akito's expression grew serious as he slowly drew out his Japanese sword, preparing for battle as he entered the mountain.

"Ritoruho, go into the box..."

And so, Akito and Ritoruho entered the mountain.

Once inside, Akito felt that the light in the forest was completely blocked by the dense leaves.

The air was filled with the smell of volcanic ash.

Moreover, this environment was not only humid but also hot.

After walking for a while, he was already sweating profusely.

Additionally, it seemed that this mountain had rarely been traversed; there were no paths, and he could only jump and use the Wind and Rain Nomikomu Technique to move forward.

However, in such an environment, all sorts of strange vines were particularly abundant, causing the speed of his technique to decrease significantly.

The whole forest gave Akito a sense of darkness, a darkness without daylight, where a moment of carelessness could lead to being entangled by various vines, making it impossible to find the way back.

Time passed slowly, but he still did not see any Demonly figure.

However, Akito could sense that ever since he stepped into this forest, there was always a gaze watching his every move.

Akito understood this was one of his weaknesses; he lacked the ability to perceive.

He didn't have Tanjiro's keen nose, nor did he possess Inosuke's beastly instincts.

"Having poor perception skills is troublesome..."

Akito wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

"Perhaps I can create techniques similar to Inosuke's Beast Breathing to enhance my perception skills..."

The more Akito thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

Unfortunately, he had never seen Inosuke demonstrate Beast Breathing in person.

Moreover, he didn't know where Inosuke was now; he could only wait for Tanjiro and the others to meet up...

Just as Akito was contemplating the future techniques of Sun Breathing, Ritoruho behind him suddenly shouted.

Akito immediately became alert.

"Roar!"

Ritoruho jumped out of the wooden box and howled at a certain direction.

Following Ritoruho's gaze, Akito saw that the originally stationary vines had started to wriggle, completely sealing off the path they had come from.

Akito tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade.

He cursed himself for getting distracted in such a place, feeling an even stronger desire for the ability of perception.

The vines were writhing towards Akito, almost reaching him.

"Swish swish!"

Akito easily cut them down.

However, the severed vines quickly regrew.

Akito frowned.

The regenerative ability of these vines was strong; it was clearly a Blood Demon Art of the demon in the forest.

"It seems you want to use these vines to wear me down, huh..."

"Unfortunately, you've underestimated me..."

Akito's face turned grim; it was the first time he felt a bit stifled, unable to locate the demon behind him, feeling somewhat toyed with.

This made him very unhappy!

The unhappy result was that the demon was about to suffer.

Looking at the vines surrounding him, Akito took a slow deep breath, tightened his grip on the blade, and said:

"Total Concentration, Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"

A massive blue water wheel rolled through the air from Akito's body, cutting down all the vines and trees it touched.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The surrounding trees fell, making loud noises.

But soon, more vines grew back.

However, this also allowed Akito to create a large area of freedom.

"Yip!"

Ritoruho cried out.

"Ritoruho, are you saying the demon is in that direction?" Akito asked.

Ritoruho nodded and leaped forward, with Akito closely following.

The Nichirin Blade in his hand never stopped, continuously slashing at the incoming vines.

Ritoruho also used its sharp claws to clear the path ahead.

The two worked together in perfect harmony.

"Damn it, that fox has found me!"

A green demon deep in the forest revealed a fierce expression.

The demon's hands and feet transformed into vines, burrowing into the ground, continuously controlling the vines to block Akito and Ritoruho.

Seeing that Akito and Ritoruho were not affected by the vines at all, the demon growled, "You forced my hand; once I catch you, I'll definitely eat you!"

"Blood Demon Art: Spirit Tree Soul!"

As soon as the demon finished speaking, Akito stopped in his tracks because he realized that the trees in his vicinity had transformed into tree-men with glowing red eyes.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The tree-men howled and began to attack Akito.

Ritoruho had also returned to its normal size, and the clumsy movements of the tree-men found it difficult to touch Ritoruho even slightly.

However, the surrounding vines and trees severely affected Akito's dodging speed.

Seeing this, Akito decided not to evade anymore.

"I was planning to deliver a killing blow after finding you, but it seems I need to show some strength..."

"Fine, I won't hold back anymore; these tree-men are actually weak!"

Akito took a deep breath.

"Total Concentration, Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"

Akito unleashed the basic technique of Water Breathing, cutting everything the tip of his blade touched into several pieces.

"Damn! How could this person be so strong... Could he be a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps..."

"How could this happen... Why is a Hashira here..."

"Is he here to hunt down the master...?"

The demon began to panic, and in a moment of distraction, the control over the vines weakened.

"Bang!"

A dense forest was forcibly cleared a path by the Akito.

Akito also saw the instigator.

"It seems to be you..."

Akito pointed the nichirin Blade at the demon, noticing that the green blade was still stained with the blood of the tree-man.

Drops fell to the ground, one by one.

The demon widened its eyes; at this moment, it desperately wanted to escape, but its limbs had turned into vines that were stuck in the ground and couldn't pull free.

"You... don't come over... if you kill me, my master will definitely tear you to shreds..."

The demon watched Akito approach step by step, cold sweat pouring down its forehead.

It felt an immense fear inside.

"Oh? Are there more demons in this forest stronger than you..."

"Very well, then you can go die..."

Akito's indifferent expression was as cold as his blade.

"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"

A blue blade shadow flashed by, and the demon's head fell to the ground.

Its eyes, filled with disbelief, stared fixedly as its body turned to ashes...

"I can't believe... I was beheaded... I am disappearing..."

"Demon Hunter... you will soon be killed by my lord... I will wait for you in hell..."

The forest demon ultimately turned to ashes, dissipating into the air.

"Heh, stronger demons, huh..."

Akito sheathed the Nichirin blade, a smile appearing on his face, reminiscent of how he treated Tanjiro back then.

"It seems this mission might be a big harvest!"

***

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