Demon of the Forest

The elder became visibly shaken by Yumi’s insistence on fighting the demon. He grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her from going to her inevitable death. “You can’t! You don’t know the sort of demon he is! He doesn’t just kill humans, he rips them apart while they’re still alive and cruelly draws out as much pain and suffering from them before they die! He’s not a demon that can be killed!”

‘He’s really frightened…’ She knew how much a normal human would find demons scary and terrifying to face, but this was so much different than what she thought. It was more than just a simple fear. It was like a disease. Everyone around her, all of the villagers had become infected. And the more he spoke the worst they all became. Some already ran away just completely abandoning their homes and lives for the selfish need to live on in cowering fear.

If she hadn’t already faced horrible acts by just humans, she might have become ill with the same cancer. But it couldn’t turn her away. In fact, it actually gave her more strength. ‘These people are expecting to die. They already believe that nothing will stop the demon.’ Her mind drew up terrible memories at the thought. Unavoidable destinies that she had to face. ‘Their lives aren’t determined yet, not while I’m here. I can actually change things here! I’m in control.’

Yumi pulled free from the elder’s hands and turned away towards the forest rising in the distance. “This is something I created and I will fix it. I know I’m not someone that you can easily trust, so if you run away I understand. But those that do stay, believe in me. That I will put a stop to this fear that has gripped you! I promise!”

Chapter 394 – Demon of the Forest

Pleas and cries called out to her back as she walked out of the village. There was nothing that they could do to stop her from marching out into the forest. She didn’t know how many would actually stay behind after what she said. They had no good reason to trust her in killing the demon. Though Yumi knew that everything would be fine, they had nothing to go on. She could understand that. They knew how powerful the demon was, but they could only make assumptions about her. A simple mistake that anyone would make.

She would make sure that her mistake wouldn’t make others suffer. This wasn’t something that she counted on happening. ‘I sort of thought that demons were individuals without any sort of structure or command. So I didn’t give it much thought to clearing out the forest of the oni. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten greedy and only killed one of them. But even after that, I might have still reached this point. There’s no telling really how things could have played out differently if I made some other choice.’

Second guessing her actions was a pointless exercise she knew, despite doing it anyway. It was in her nature. She couldn’t help it. Now she just had to face the makings of her choice. ‘It’s just the leader of the band of demons in this forest. The snake demon sounded more important than this one, so I should be able to kill it with little effort.’

Leaping to the top of the trees at the edge of the forest, Yumi scanned the canopy. She heard the roar before, but it was only the once. Ever since it had been quiet. Since, she saw no movement in the forest and heard nothing, not even with her heightened senses. It was almost like the demon didn’t even exist. It was merely a phantom stirred up by the villagers. But she heard it, she knew it was real. She just needed a direction.

Getting a direction proved difficult for her though. She could only remember that the sound came from the forest, but nothing more specific. “I need something, anything of a hint.” Unfortunately, nothing came to help her with that hint.

Yumi leapt deeper into the forest jumping from tree to tree trying to conserve her strength. It had barely been even a few hours since she slew the last oni in the forest. She hadn’t fully recovered her strength. ‘I’m looking forward to sleeping after this…’

The deeper she went into the forest the less she felt like there was going to be anything. It had been too quiet for too long. ‘Where is this demon? I can’t find it anywhere!’ Yumi leapt up to the top of the forest to get another view of everything.

She looked back at the village covered up by the trees from her sight. ‘It didn’t pass me unnoticed and attack the village?’ Nothing at the village seemed out of place from what she could see. There would have been something happening she felt if things were bad. ‘I can’t hear anything. They’re still safe… But where’s the demon?’

Nothing came to answer her question.

“What am I going to do? I can’t find the demon like this. I’ve got no clues…”

“Slayer of my kin, I’ve found you.”

Yumi’s eyes widened suddenly in surprise. A deep and hoarse voice came from below her in the forest. ‘Is that the demon? How did he find me?’ So many questions ran through her mind as she stared down. The only certainty she felt was that it belonged to the same demon that roared.

Focusing in her eyes, she could see through the leaves and branches to a shape of the demon, but not a very clear image. It clearly knew where she was and came searching for her. ‘I guess a surprise attack is out of the question now. But it’s intelligent like the snake demon. Definitely different from the oni.’

Jumping down from the top of the tree, Yumi landed sharply and suddenly in front of the demon without so much as a flinch from the fall. She finally got her first good look at the demon that she was to fight. However, to her surprise, it wasn’t really what she was expecting. ‘He doesn’t really look that demon-like at all…’

Before her stood what appeared to be the shape of a human, though she felt certain it was the demon. He looked like a normal human from everything that she saw though. It was strange. She expected to find something frightening or terror inducing and all she found was a really hot guy out in the forest. “You’re Tokaromaru?” The fact that what she saw before her was hardly anything like a demon she really had to check. Deep inside, she was already certain, but she felt like she had to be sure.

The young man stared down at her with only a few red marks of paint, maybe, to really change him from being an average human. There appeared to be no real strength in his form. She couldn’t judge too much, since her body hid a shocking amount of power for her frame. But viewing from his body only, she really questioned how powerful he could be. “And you’re the one killing my soldiers. A little girl…” The hatred in his voice ruined his otherwise handsome face. She knew without a doubt now that this was the demon that she sought.

“And a little girl is going to kill you as well,” she boasted before she even saw what the demon could do. Yumi packed her confidence thick before him. ‘With his size, it’ll be much easier to fight than an oni. Being the leader, I was expecting him to be some massive demon that just his tooth was the size of me. But this is going to be better. I can manage this.’

“The little girl has a bark,” he mocked, completely underestimating Yumi. He leaned in towards her to intimidate her, but it did nothing. Like Yumi, he bore a significant amount of confidence with him.

Neither side felt that the fight was going to be much of a challenge. Someone was going to be rudely awakened.

Yumi found his condescending tone annoying and saw no further need to drag out the conversation. She had a single job to do and it stood before her. It was quite easy. Spinning around, she launched her open palm into the stomach of the demon matching it with some of her telekinesis for extra force.

The power behind the hit sent the demon backwards with his feet carving up the ground for a few meters before lifted off his feet. The full force of the power Yumi attacked with finally kicked in at that moment. He went flying like a bullet through the forest tearing up trees and earth as he went.

“Boss!” shouted all of the oni around him before he disappeared. Yumi hadn’t even noticed them until they spoke up. She found herself completely surrounded by demons, oni, towering over her. Though for the moment they all had shock in their eyes rather than blood for her.

Staring at the area carved up by Tokaromaru, Yumi felt a little disappointed by it all. ‘That was a bit anti-climatic to just end like that. He was weaker than I was even giving him credit for.’

Recovered from their shock quickly, the oni all glared at Yumi with murderous intent. Despite the death of their boss, they didn’t seem fazed by the power that Yumi displayed. “You all want to die here?”

“So you’re more than just a bark, little girl,” a familiar voice bellowed from the distance. Walking out of the carved earth Tokaromaru appeared completely unscathed by Yumi’s strike. “But you’re going to need a lot more than that to harm me.”

The oni all spread out to give their leader and Yumi room for their fight. Yumi’s eyes narrowed, realizing that things were far from over. ‘He survived and doesn’t even look like he’s hurt by it. I guess I misjudged him… He’s actually strong…’ She prepared herself for the real fight to come. This wasn’t going to be like the other fights she had with the demons.

Tokaromaru stood before Yumi with a pleased look on his face. He likely looked forward to having a real fight, a challenge. His underestimation of Yumi didn’t seem to worry him at all. No movement came from him, though it was clear that he took things seriously now. Before he had no guard up and let the hit take him. He was caught unaware, that was no longer the case. Yumi could tell that whatever she did now would be countered or dodged.

‘He’s completely different from before…’ She wasn’t sure how she wanted to approach him. It wasn’t going to be a simple fight anymore and she would have to deal with his minions as well. ‘Walked into the lion’s den it seems…this might tire me out…’

“If you won’t attack.” The standoff came to an end as the demon struck out with a punch of his own to return the favor. Yumi saw the swing coming and stepped around it with little effort. He spun around and converted the swing into new energy and redirected. This time she couldn’t just simply dodge as she wasn’t expecting it so fast. It struck her square in the chest.

Knocked back, Yumi jumped into the air to take control of her fall. Even with more control, she still crashed into a tree and knocked it over as she came to a rest on top of the trunk. A hand rubbed with a sting came up from the hit. “So you’re more than just a pretty face, demon.”

“You’d do well to learn to fear me.”

“I’ve got no reason to fear something I’m going to be killing soon.”

A smirk came across his lips at her boasting. “Still got that confidence. We’ll see how long it lasts! No demon hunter has ever been able to so much as make me break a sweat. A little girl like you will fare no better against me!”

“I’m not the only one with confidence to spare.” Yumi’s movements blurred to the demon for a moment as she appeared behind him striking him in the back of the neck only for the demon to grab her arm and throw her into the earth with a foot. She coughed as the air was kicked out of her. But it wasn’t enough to stun her. While still holding on to her, she gripped his arm and through her telekinesis and strength threw him into the air.

Broken branches and leaves fell down from where Tokaromaru crashed through the forest. The silence lasted only as long as the demon was away. He dropped back down in front of Yumi as she stood back up. “You’re amateur,” he said with some disappointment in his voice. “You’ve got no skill in combat whatsoever.”

“And your point?”

“You’re going to die to me before I even get warmed up!” The demon then punched Yumi in the face so quickly that it actually was a blur for her, a first for her. She couldn’t react in time as she went flying backwards. Then the demon appeared above her and kicked her into the earth. A crater ripped through the forest digging Yumi into the dirt. Followed up quickly, a red glow of energy formed in his hand blasting out as a beam engulfing Yumi in red light.

Once finished, he landed on the edge of the crater and stared down. “You have too many openings in your attacks and do nothing to follow up afterward. You are very straightforward, making you easy to read.” He turned away from the crater and sighed. “You were very disappointing. I thought you might have been something interesting having killed so many of my soldiers. But you weren’t anything special.”

“It’s true that I’m not special,” replied Yumi out of the smoke in the crater.

The demon froze and tilted his head over his shoulder at Yumi floating out of the crater. His eyes narrowed slightly with some peaked curiosity. “You lived…”

“However, that’s what I get for trying something different.” A thin line of blood dripped down the side of her face as the only mark of damage from everything he did. “That’s on me trying to conserve myself. But I see that’s not going to work on you.” Barrier shards materialized in the air around her as she began to summon up her true power.