In a few hours, dawn will break. Sitting on the floor of a still broken house, we were chatting occasionally. Tanjiro and Kie showed great curiosity about my powers.
Thanks to me, the sad atmosphere was no longer there. Nezuko was still sleeping, and through my eyes, I could see her demon transformation. Deciding not to interfere too much, I decided to let it happen. Afterall, I was here to have fun and conquer this world to complete my Sanctuary.
They kept praising my swordsmanship. Hehe, I was almost blushing.
I received praises in Asgard, but the people praised me as a prince, with all respect and formality.
Seeing them with practically stars in their eyes was a nice change of pace. Being treated like this was good, too.
"How were you able to heal my injuries, Nior-sama? Even medicines take days to cure them," Kie asked me. She blushed slightly, remembering calling me a God. But when she thought over it deeply, it did seem like the miracles of God she had heard in stories.
"I will tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else."
They looked at me seriously and nodded their heads slightly.
'Come on! No need to be so serious. I wasn't going to tell the full truth anyway. I have no reason to reveal my identity,' I groaned inwardly.
"I can do some magic," I say as I raise my finger upward and a small flame flickers on its tip.
Both of their eyes widen, and they start clapping.
"Amazing! I have never seen anything like that," they both exclaim.
Secretly, my identity as a God solidifies in their hearts, and they look at me with almost worshipful gazes.
Tanjiro hesitates slightly, unsure of how to request someone like me. He looked at his sister, and determination replaced his hesitation.
"Nior-san, I know you have already helped us a lot. But I want to find that man and cure my sister. Would you please teach me how to fight?" he bowed almost parallel to the ground.
I had already told them about Nezuko's condition and how she is no longer a human.
"I don't mind. In fact, I already have someone in mind to teach you about swords. Now, how about I show you something fun?"
He was a little sad that I wasn't the one to teach him, but he immediately perked up when he heard the next part.
I stood up from my place and walked to the open field. It was still dark, but I could see perfectly.
I pulled out my sword, pointed it downward, lifted the handle to my face and removed my hands. Instead of falling, it stayed afloat.
The sword then glowed a deep, beautiful red. In the darkness of the night, it was the only source of illumination.
I brought my palm closer, and crimson vampiric energy flowed around, leaking into the surroundings. The wind rustled loudly, and my overcoat flew wildly.
My eyes shining red, I manipulated the red energy to create magical runes. They floated and circled the still flying sword.
A bright red pillar light shot towards the sky, brightening the entire night sky.
The surroundings started flickering as if it was glitching, and a projection of outer space formed.
After a few minutes, the flickerings stopped, and the projection became stable, before rapidly expanding and vanishing.
Now what was I doing? I was summoning Sanctuary. It is my personal dimension, though it is incomplete at the moment. It will slowly devour this world to make itself stronger. It isn't yet automated, so I need to oversee some things myself. Completion of Sanctuary will help me ascend to the Universal level and aid in numerous future projects, including an army of vampires.
Another thing to mention is my sword. It is not a simple blade. The Dwarf King himself spent 10 years crafting it. On top of it, I placed hundreds of enchantments as well as fed it Vampire Energy for the past fifty years.
Aside from having many impressive abilities, it is also the key to my dimension.
It is truly a divine blade.
"Wha... what was that, Nior-sama?" Kie covered her mouth with her hands. Her legs were shaking at the marvelling sight.
Tanjiro wasn't faring better. He was on his butt, eyes still glued to the sky.
They were ordinary people, and from a remote region. They haven't even seen electricity. Magic at such a scale was something they didn't see in their wildest dreams.
What they saw was only the residual magic reaction that produced an electromagnetic wavelength of the visible spectrum. If they had magic senses, they would have gone crazy from the sheer scale of what just occurred.
Magics performed by Gods were not something even the most genius of the sorcerers can match, well, except for the Ancient One.
"Haha... just some tricks. Nothing special," I tried laughing it off, but they were not buying it, and kept pestering me with different questions.
The next few hours went by with us chatting. Nezuko also got up sooner than expected, likely due to my healing spell.
She lunged at me as I was nearest to her. Kie and Tanjiro got worried and tried to step forward. Too bad, they didn't get the chance to do much. I flicked Nezuko's forehead. She started rolling on the ground, holding the spot where I hit her.
'Her demon nature needs to be toned down a bit. Luckily, I brought it with me.'
---
Dawn has broken. Snow has stopped falling, but travel is still difficult. A thick layer blankets the ground, making even walking tiring.
The sun shines brightly, but the light cannot reach the grounds through the large trees.
In such a cold climate, a figure is rushing toward a direction. It was toward the top of the mountains.
Even though there was thick snow, he was moving as if there was no resistance at all. His speed surpassed even that of the athletes.
He was wearing a dark blue attire over which was a haori with one side red and the other having a hexagonal pattern of green and yellow colours. He was also carrying a sword at his side.
The appearance can't be more unique.
It was Tomioka Giyu, the Water Hashira!
Just recently, he has received information about the murder of a family on the mountain top. He suspects Muzan might be there.
Wherever Muzan passes, death follows. He and his demons have slaughtering humans for a thousand years.
He imagined a scene filled with blood and the severed limbs and corpses of innocents, but when he neared the top, he heard a unique and pleasant music. He cannot recognise the instrument, but the sound resembles that of a shamisen.
The melody was different. It calmed down his racing heart, and he felt like he was at home with his long-lost family. He does not know much about music, but this sound seems to convey sadness and in that sadness a spark of hope.
'What a strange feeling,' he couldn't help but think to himself.
When he reached the top, he felt the cold vanish, and in its place, a pleasant warmth.
The scene in front of him was completely different from what he imagined. Instead of a broken house and corpses, he saw several rabbits and birds flocking around, listening to the music.
Then his gaze shifted to the one playing. He had an incredibly handsome face, long golden hair that fell to his shoulders, and wore a black coat. His eyes were closed, indicating his immersion in his music.
'Wait..'
Giyu was using the Total Concentration Constant, and he detected the stench of a demon.
He quickly spotted a girl lying near the golden-haired boy.
"Step away from her!" Giyu shouted and ran frantically toward the girl while unsheathing his sword.
---
(Nior POV)
'Tch... Annoying'
I was getting to the good part, and he chose to distract me now.
Obviously, I sensed him long ago, but I was enjoying my violin and decided to ignore him. As a vampire, I can play most instruments very well. A little calming spell, and now everyone is sleeping soundly. Nezuko's demon instincts also wore down a lot. She is as docile as a cat now.
'Sigh...'
I shifted my attention to the approaching Giyu. To my eyes, he is running in slow motion.
'You chose to ruin my violin, don't complain if I am a little rough'
I materialised my sword and blocked his sword, which was coming towards Nezuko's neck. Then, redirecting the force, I slashed my sword vertically upward.
Vampiric Battle Arts: First Stroke
Not giving him any chance, I took a step and used a technique I made for Vampires.
My sword swung just like a paintbrush and painted the ground red with Giyu's blood.
He got thrown away with a deep gash on his chest.
'I guess that's enough for now'
Time resumed, and he looked at the wound on his chest, not even knowing when he got it.
Everything happened in less than a second. Battle Arts are just that powerful. They are a complement to the insane speed of Vampires.
The commotion was loud enough for Tanjiro and others to wake up. Tanjiro quickly ran and shielded Kie behind him, while Nezuko stood protectively in front of them.
"You know, it's quite unbecoming of a swordsman to raise his blade against a girl, and even worse against a sleeping girl," I quipped with sarcasm. My lips curl into an evil smile.
"I am a demon slayer. She is not human. I have to kill her. Please get away from her," He was shocked but still warned.
"This family is under my protection. I can't have you kill anyone"
He didn't argue further and raised his sword and launched toward Nezuko.
Water Breathing: First Form
He ran past me, positioning his sword horizontally at Nezuko's neck.
Water Surface Sl
Clang
He never got to swing his sword as I blocked again.
"Oi Oi. You are doing this the second time now"
I push forward, and his sword chips a little.
He quickly jumps back to create distance and looks at his damaged sword. Although he isn't saying anything, the disbelief is written all over his face.
"Who are you?" he asks seriously and slightly lowers his blade.
"No time to talk. Let's fight first." The evil smile on my face never left.
I take a step forward and vanish.
Reappearing behind Giyu, I casually slash my sword.
He managed to evade just a moment late and got a cut on his shoulder.
Looking at his new injury, he takes a deep breath and looks me in the eye seriously.
'Good, good. Let's see what you can do, Giyu!'
I look at his eyes excitedly and raise my sword too.
Water Breathing Third Form: Flowing Dance
Battle Arts: First Stroke
KRAANG!
Our swords meet with a loud and high-pitched noise, and snow spreads outwards into the air.
I took a step back, holding back my strength to test my techniques.
I grasp the hilt tightly and lower my body a little.
Battle Arts: Dragon's Might
My body shot forward with all the stored-up potential energy unleashed through my sword. I didn't add additional force; it was just the techniques.
Vampiric Battle Arts are not just limited to the sword alone. They mainly complement speed and are versatile in applications.
Giyu was smart enough to dodge my attack. After getting his footing, he pressed forward again. I could see the shadow of flowing water with each swing of his sword. It was a beautiful technique; nothing like the ferocious and violent one that I created.
We moved across the mountains, looking for openings and pressing advantages. The only difference was that, while Giyu was fighting for his life, I was more interested in learning his breathing techniques. He was generous enough to show me everything, even the secret eleventh form.
Kie and Tanjiro were watching from afar. In the swirling snow in the air, they could only see blue and red flashes of sword.
"Will Nior-same be alright?" Kie worriedly asked.
"He is strong, mother. He was also able to injure him before. He will win," Tanjiro replied confidently.
After half an hour, snow settled down, and Giyu was kneeling on the ground while a red blade rested on his neck.
"Now that you have calmed down, can we talk?" Nior asked with a polite smile.
Looking at his devilishly handsome face and that smile, Giyu felt a shiver down his spine.