The Multiverse Hunter

The tension between them was immediately cut when the door opposite the Hashira opened, revealing two small, white-haired girls assisting a blind man with a horrific scar across his eyes. Instantly, all the Hashira, including Shinobu, dropped to their knees and lowered their heads slightly, leaving Ali standing in the middle, watching as Lord Ubuyashiki was gently seated.

Ali was surprised, to say the least. He had expected more from this "Lord" whom he had heard so much about from Shinobu. 'A blind cripple never crossed my mind, to be honest, he thought.

"It is very nice to finally meet you, Ali. Shinobu has told me a lot about you," Ubuyashiki said, his voice calm and gentle.

Ali didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glanced at the girls on either side of Ubuyashiki. 'They look odd-if I saw them at night, l'd assume they were demons with those eyes. But they don't smell like demons,' he mused.

Finally, Ali turned his gaze back to Ubuyashiki and replied, "It's nice to meet you too, blind man."

At Ali's words, Shinobu choked on air and started coughing, while several of the other Hashira did not take kindly to his remark, flaring their killing intent in his direction.

The Wind Hashira immediately stood, drawing his sword as he shouted, "What did you just say, you bastard?"

Ali smirked, clearly unfazed by the Wind Hashira's reaction or the killing intent from the others.

"Let's all calm down," Ubuyashiki said in a soothing tone, and the Hashira gradually suppressed their anger. The Wind Hashira reluctantly returned to his seat but kept his sword unsheathed at his side.

"I think we all got off on the wrong foot," Ubuyashiki continued. "My name is Ubuyashiki Kagaya, but you can call me Ubuyashiki."

'So, this is how things are around here, Ali thought. 'They don't fear him-they're loyal through respect and love. That's better than ruling by fear in some cases.

Interesting!'

"Shinobu didn't explain much to me about the role of a Demon Slayer," Ali stated.

"Demon Slayers have been at constant war with the demons since the first of their kind, the most evil among them being Muzan Kibutsuji. Our mission since the creation of the Demon Slayer Corps has been to protect civilians from these heinous creatures and to hunt down Muzan and his closest followers."

Ali's forearm had been heating up ever since he interacted with the other Hashira and their leader, but the mention of Muzan made it burn even more intensely.

"Hmm, killing strong demons sounds like fun to me. You've convinced me to join the Demon Slayers. So, what happens now? Is there some sort of test?"

"I'm very pleased to hear that, Ali. As for your enlistment, you don't need to prove yourself-I trust Shinobu's word that you're ready. Of course, you will need to choose a Breathing Style that suits you first."

At that moment, the Wind Hashira interrupted. "Oyakata-sama, I insist you let me test him first. I think it's unfair to the other trainees who had to struggle and survive to join our ranks that he gets in based on a Hashira's word alone."

Ubuyashiki was about to respond, but Ali spoke first. "I accept. So, do you want to fight to the death, or until I break every bone in your body?" Ali turned to face the silver-haired Hashira, flaring his killing intent ever so slightly.

Everyone around him felt a chill run down their spine.

The Flame Hashira quickly intervened. "How about a friendly spar? The fight stops when the other surrenders, and let's keep it down to just light bruises."

Both Ali and the Wind Hashira moved a short distance away from the others, who watched with growing excitement.

As the fighters took their positions, what no one could see was that beneath Ali's clothes, sinister black veins were spreading across his legs, chest, and arms.

This was an extremely painful technique, only viable for those cursed with a specific healing gene. The gene would target a specific part of Ali's body, forcing it into overdrive, using every ounce of energy available, destroying and healing the muscles simultaneously. This brought Ali's strength to new heights, though it came at a great cost.

'I can't take any risks against a Hashira, Ali thought.' need to go all out from the start-I can't let him use that Breathing Technique!'

The Flame Hashira stepped closer and said, "Ready?" He looked at both of them, and they nodded. "Fight!"

Ali instantly channeled all his strength into his legs, dashing forward at an incredible speed. One moment, he was ten meters away, and the next, he was face to face with the Wind Hashira.

'SO FAST!' the Wind Hashira thought, swinging his blade horizontally at Ali. But Ali was already too close. He caught Sanemi's hand, gripping it with a strength that was almost inhuman. At the same time, he swept Sanemi's feet out from under him with perfect technique.

Sanemi was too focused on freeing his hand to notice the sweep. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground with Ali on top of him.

'What happened? How?' Sanemi thought as he found himself pinned.

A loud "BOOM" echoed as Ali drove his knees into Sanemi's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. In the same motion, Ali disarmed Sanemi and held the blade to his throat, forcing his head to stay pressed against the ground to avoid being cut.

Five seconds. That's all it took for Ali to subdue a Hashira, leaving everyone else stunned.

"Weaklings like you should know their place," Ali whispered into Sanemi's ear.

Sanemi fumed with anger, trying to throw Ali off, but stopped when he felt blood trickling down his throat.

Ali looked toward the Flame Hashira, waiting for him to call the spar. The Flame Hashira snapped out of his shock and announced, "Ali wins against Sanemi!"

Ali stood up, walking toward Shinobu while casually twirling Sanemi's sword in his hand. "Shinobu, I expected more from the famous Hashira," he said, then tossed the sword backward. It sank into the ground right next to Sanemi's head, who flinched and tried to move, only to realise that three of his ribs were cleanly broken, causing him immense pain.

"You broke his ribs," Shinobu remarked.

"It's what he gets for running his mouth," Ali responded, then eyed the rest of the Hashira.

The Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, grinned and said, "You're one scary guy."

The Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, glanced at Sanemi clutching his stomach and commented, "Pathetic." Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira, also shook his head in disappointment and said, "Embarrassing." Both of them then bowed to Ubuyashiki and took their leave.

The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, turned to Ali and said, "Welcome to the Demon Slayer Corps. If you need any help, don't hesitate to call on me."

"I'll make sure to take you up on that offer," Ali nodded at the crying giant, who paid his respects to Ubuyashiki before leaving.

A short boy with long, dark blue hair approached Ali, looking up at him. "I'm the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito. l've never seen a takedown like that before. Can you demonstrate it for me later?"

Ali looked down at the emotionless boy and replied, "That takedown is part of a broader martial art. I could teach you, but you'll have to show me your Breathing Technique in return."

The Mist Hashira nodded, paid his respects to Ubuyashiki, and also left.

As Muichiro departed, a Kakushi helped Sanemi to his feet. As they passed by Ali, Sanemi glared at him with fury, but Ali met his gaze with cold eyes and said,

"You're lucky this wasn't a fight to the death."

Sanemi's face turned red with anger. He wanted to retort but knew that breathing hurt him right now, and talking would hurt even more. He reluctantly accepted his defeat and left with the Kakushi, vowing in his heart to repay Ali for this humiliation.

Five extra chapters on patreon.com/Rondo312