Saikō no Chitsujo

Chapter 3 - Demon swordsman

"Come!" a shirtless Hijiri yelled as he adjusted his grip on his crimson katana noting the six rocky humanoids charging at him, sliding his right foot back, he gracefully weaved through, cutting down each one he came across.
"Not enough" he muttered as he rose his bandaged right hand and a large crack formed on the ground before him, a horde of the rocky humanoid creatures crawling out, standing out from the group was a black horned creature with cracks that spread about it's body glowing a deep red. They glanced around growling before spotting him. Smirking, Hijiri held up his blade horizontally by the right side of his face and leaned foward a bit. Leaping foward, he swung his blade in a wide arc, beheading three of the creatures. Instinctively lifting his blade to his left, he was knocked back by a blocked attack from the horned beast.
This fast, that's quite surprising. I thought it was a low level demon at best. Hijiri thought as he dashed foward, leaping over the charging beast, with a spin he swung his blade at the creature's shoulder.
Noting the horned creature's counter, he tilted his blade towards it's fist, cleaving off it's hands "Bastard! You're far smarter than I gave you credit for" Hijiri said with a wolfish grin, holding his katana at arms length and rushing foward, the horned creature noted this and twisted it's smaller claws into longer blade-like ones.

It learns?! Hijiri's mind raced as he met it head on, the echo of metal clashing.

Footsteps from a distance attracted the two as Akame and Leone came into view, growling, the creature dashed at them turning away from Hijiri.
"Leone!" Akame called out as they entered a battle stance.

"OI!!" His words sent a chill down the spines of the three freezing them in place and before the demon could turn back, Hijiri grabbed it's face, slowly closing his open palm into a fist. "YOU MUST BE REAL BRAVE TURNING YOUR BACK TO ME LIKE THAT" he said in unision with his danger beast as he crushed it's head, spilling molten rock on his bandaged fist and onto the ground burning up the grass it landed on.

Rushing towards him, Akame grabbed his right hand checking for injuries. "It's cold, and the bandages aren't burnt...how?" she asked looking at him with concern.
"You don't expect my own element to damage me right?" Hijiri said with a chuckle opening and closing his fist.

"Would you look at that only a month here and you've got Akame this concerned about you." Leone said with a smile as she walked towards the two.
"Of course she'll be concerned about her big brother, right Akame chan?" Hijiri asked noting her expression switching from a slightly flustered look to a deadpan. "I'm offering y'all my protection aren't I? So I'm basically your proclaimed big brother, ain't that right?" Hijiri stated with a smirk as he beat his chest smugly.
"Self-proclaimed then" Akame said bluntly earning a fit of laughter from Leone and comical depression from Hijiri.
"But Hijiri-san."
"Huh?"
"Are you a...swordsman?" Akame asked.
Glancing at the crimson katana in his hand which disintegrated afterwards, Hijiri replied. "Well no, I'm not really restricted to a type of weapon. So I'm more of a versatile warrior I would say."
"Is that so." Akame mumbled as her mind drifted away.
"Hijiri, the boss actually called a meeting." Leone stated, drying his face with a towel Hijiri paused in realisation.
"Dropping the honorifics like that huh?" He muttered with a small smile, watching Leone's smirk as she walked away.

"So favourite boss of ours, what's our mission?" Hijiri said leaning back in the couch as Najenda took a seat upon noting the presence of the entire Night raid.
"We've put off Bolic's assasination for some time and a new window just opened, but our intel stated that the Rakshasa demons have now moved in to guard Bolic creating the possiblity of the Yeagers being present." Najenda stated, crossing her legs as she sat back. "Therefore" -she continued- "I would like to ask Hijiri to proceed on a surveilance mission since he's been identified as K.I.A, so should a scenario where he's exposed occur, it'll have no ties to us."