Chapter 268: Demon Slayer
Late that night, Liam Moon snuck out of Ryuu's room. If anyone else in the Familia found out, he doubted he'd ever have a moment's peace again. It was better to just maintain this delicate balance.
And so, his secret tryst concluded, Liam quietly returned to his own room and went to sleep.
About three hours later, he was jolted awake.
He glanced out the window, but there was nothing there. He closed his eyes, and his Sword Soul template appeared in his mind. In the very center of the interface, a progress bar materialized and began to fill at a frantic pace, shooting from one percent to one hundred in just a few breaths.
What's happening?
It seemed his system was undergoing an update. At the beginning, this system had only provided him with the Sword Soul template. Perhaps now it was going to provide him with new support.
At this thought, Liam felt a surge of anticipation, his mind racing with the new possibilities the system might bring. In the current DanMachi world, besides the final battle against the Black Dragon, the only thing left was to clear the Dungeon. So why was the system updating now? He hadn't killed the Black Dragon, nor had he cleared the Dungeon.
[Ding! System update complete. New world coordinates acquired. Proceed to destination?]
[YES / NO?]
A new world?
Liam's mind raced. The system was his greatest secret; he couldn't tell anyone. Before answering the prompt, he quickly scribbled a short letter on his desk. It roughly informed Hestia and the others that he was heading somewhere and not to worry about his safety.
Then, Liam focused his consciousness on the [YES].
His surroundings dissolved into total blackness, and all his senses were completely stripped away.
Liam had no idea how much time had passed. It might have been a minute, an hour, or only an instant.
Faint moonlight filtered down. Liam found himself in the middle of a forest.
"Where am I?"
Above him was a bright moon; all around him was a dense forest.
Liam focused on the system panel and noticed the interface had changed. The first page showed his personal stats, just as before. He flipped to the second page. It was completely black, with a single golden point of light in the center, and a white point of light next to it. Other than that, on this second page, the golden dot was continuously emitting concentric, ripple-like waves.
Is the white dot the new world coordinate? Or is the golden one this new place?
Liam pulled his attention away from the system panel and expanded his senses outward. His ears could hear distant sounds, his nose could pick up myriad subtle scents. His eyes could clearly make out a mosquito hundreds, even thousands, of meters away, and his skin could feel the faint disturbances in the air...
"The smell of blood, and screaming. Looks like this place isn't very peaceful either."
Liam stood up and sped off toward the source of the screams. Whether it was to ask questions or to help, the first step was to find someone alive.
"Help! Help me!"
Hearing the cries, Liam's form blurred into a shadow as he moved through the forest. He soon arrived at the source of the sound and saw it: a grotesque monster, several meters tall, its entire body composed of countless arms.
Isn't that the Hand Demon?
It was currently chasing a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Liam was stunned. He had arrived in the world of Demon Slayer.
This world wasn't bad. And being able to cross over here... it must be fate. He would change the tragedies of this world that never should have happened. At the very least, the righteous Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps did not deserve to end up so catastrophically dead and wounded.
Just as he was about to make his move, a young man with a scar on his forehead appeared. Liam knew him immediately: this was the future "Head-Butt Hashira," Tanjiro. So nicknamed because his head was absurdly hard.
The boy's legs were shaking. Facing such a terrifying enemy, fear was inevitable.
"If you don't make a move, he's going to die," Liam said casually.
Tanjiro glanced at the suddenly-appeared stranger, then screwed up his courage and charged the Hand Demon. With a fluid slash, the boy's blade severed the arm the demon was using to hold the other human. After unleashing his Water Breathing, Tanjiro managed to save the other contestant.
The Hand Demon was furious. Its many arms thrashed wildly in all directions, slamming into both Tanjiro and the person he had just rescued, sending them flying.
"Are you paralyzed with fear, you brat? Then you can just be obedient and let me eat you!" The Hand Demon gave up on the two boys and turned its attention to the strange young man. He was tall, handsome, with black hair, and dressed in long sleeves and pants, wearing black gloves.
As the Hand Demon stretched its numerous arms toward Liam, Liam simply stood still.
Tanjiro yelled anxiously, "Look out! Its body is incredibly tough!"
Liam couldn't even be bothered to move. He just stared at the Hand Demon and spat out a single word.
"Scram!"
The sound wave, imbued with his sword intent, became a killing shockwave. An invisible force blasted outward. The grass on the ground between Liam and the demon was pulverized, and the Hand Demon froze solid. A moment later, it simply collapsed, its entire body disintegrDo not use LaTeX for regular prose (e.g., resumes, letters, essays, CVs, etc.). disintegrating.
Tanjiro's eyes went wide with disbelief. "What just happened? He didn't use a Nichirin Blade... why did the demon just die?"
Liam watched the Hand Demon, its spirit already extinguished, crumble to dust. He now had a better understanding. It seemed that for a demon of this level, he could kill it directly without needing a Nichirin Blade. The demons of this world were immortal and possessed superhuman strength and regeneration. Besides sunlight or a Nichirin Blade, poisons like Wisteria could also kill them. And, it seemed, attacks that targeted the spirit and soul worked just as well.
Tanjiro and the rescued candidate hurried over and bowed deeply to Liam. "Thank you so much..."
Liam waved his hand. "I'm also trying to pass this test. Shall we go together?"
"That would be great! My name is Tanjiro."
"Liam."
In the end, only five people, including Liam, passed the Final Selection on Fujikasane Mountain. The boy Tanjiro had rescued had fled the mountain as soon as he reached a safe area.
Tanjiro looked around. "I remember there were twenty or thirty people here at the start... and now there are only five of us left."
At that moment, two small children who looked identical—one with white hair, one with black—walked out in front of them. It was impossible to tell if they were boys or girls.
"Congratulations on passing the selection. Next, we will distribute your uniforms..."
The young man with the mohawk impatiently cut them off. "Cut the crap! Where's my sword? When do I get my sword?"
This young man was Genya Shinazugawa.
"We will first measure you for your uniforms, and then engrave your rank. The ranks are, from highest to lowest: Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, and Mizunoto..."
Liam wasn't particularly interested in the corps ranks. He was just wondering why he had been brought here. Perhaps if he killed Muzan quickly enough, the system would give him his next instructions. That was right—ever since he arrived, the second page of his system interface had been completely frozen. He tried to touch the two points of light, but nothing happened. It didn't matter. First, he'd take care of Muzan.
"My sword!" Genya demanded again.
Ignoring his rudeness, the twins continued their speech: "Today, you will each choose the Tamahagane ore for your blade. However, it will take ten to fifteen days for the sword to be completed."
A number of birds flew down from the sky. In the Demon Slayer Corps, these were known as Kasugai Crows. They were intelligent birds capable of speech, reliable assistants for relaying information.
However, the bird that landed on Liam's shoulder was not a black crow, but a grey peregrine falcon. Liam held up his right arm, and the falcon obediently hopped onto his glove, gently rubbing its head against his fingers. He remembered that the peregrine falcon was the fastest flying bird in the world, which pleased him. Liam had always striven to be the best, so it was only natural that his pet should also possess top-tier talent.
At that moment, Genya, his teeth gritted and his face a mask of rage, strode up to the twins. He grabbed the white-haired child's hair and yanked their head up violently.
"Stop screwing with me and give me the sword! I want it now! The Demon Slayer sword! The color-changing sword!"
Liam moved before Tanjiro could. He unleashed his sword intent, targeting only Genya.
An invisible wave of power shot from Liam and struck Genya. The immense sword intent bombarded Genya's mind. He instantly felt an agonizing pain, as if thousands of sharp needles were stabbing into his brain. The next second, Genya dropped to his knees.
Liam walked over to him and planted his foot on Genya's face, grinding it into the dirt.
"Since you like to bully the weak so much, how about you experience what it feels like to be trampled into the mud?"
Genya tried to resist, but his limbs refused to obey him. "You bastard!"
The two children bowed to Liam in thanks. Tanjiro, who had been about to stop Genya, was now at a complete loss. The bully was now being bullied... what should he do?
Liam kicked Genya lightly. The boy's body rolled over twenty meters across the ground before finally stopping. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, struggling just to stand.
The other two survivors—a quiet girl with a ponytail and a young man with yellow hair—stared at Liam, dumbfounded. What Liam had just displayed was a power far more terrifying than any ordinary demon. Was that kind of power really something a human could possess?
The twins brought forward a wooden table. "This is the Tamahagane. Please choose the ore you like."
Fifteen chunks of ore were displayed. Tanjiro used his sense of smell and picked the one that suited him. Liam's gaze also swept over the table. He passed his left hand over the ore and chose the one that resonated most strongly with him.
As he watched the twins leave, Liam began to plan his next move. He only knew parts of the Demon Slayer plot; many of the anime he watched hadn't even finished when he crossed over.
Tanjiro walked over to Liam and knelt directly in front of him.
"Mr. Liam, please, I beg you to teach me! Even if I can only learn one small thing! I will pay any price you ask!"
Tanjiro's nose had confirmed that Liam was a kind and gentle person, and an overwhelmingly powerful one. He was the strongest person Tanjiro had ever met. To achieve his goal, Tanjiro had to become stronger. After seeing Liam's power, he was determined to learn whatever he could from him.
Liam looked him over. "Fine. It just so happens I'm in need of a guide and a long-term meal ticket."
"Thank you so much!"
The two returned to Sagiri Mountain. As moonlight spilled into the forest, Tanjiro saw his sister, Nezuko Kamado. She had long black hair, a fair and lovely face, and a short bamboo muzzle. She wore a pink robe, staring silently into the forest.
"Nezuko! Nezuko!"
Tanjiro's entire family had been killed by a demon, leaving only him and his sister. And that sister had been turned into a demon herself, falling into a deep sleep. But now, she was moving freely, and showed no signs of wanting to eat people. This was wonderful!
Nezuko couldn't speak, but she threw her arms around Tanjiro's waist, conveying all her care for her brother in that one motion.
Liam watched the scene, moved. How wonderful. It seemed that guiding Tanjiro was the right choice.
Tanjiro stroked his sister's head, tears streaming down his face. "Why did you suddenly fall asleep? You wouldn't wake up for so long... I thought... I thought you were going to die!"
He's been carrying so much pressure.
Tanjiro was about the same age as Liam. For a young man his age to endure such a blow, few could have managed it. But clearly, Tanjiro had persevered.
At that moment, Tanjiro's master also walked over, pulling both Tanjiro and his sister into an embrace. From the gaps in his tengu mask, hot tears also fell.
Liam looked up at the moon, pretending not to see the master and student weeping freely.
When the emotions finally subsided, Liam returned, holding four rabbits he had hunted in the forest.
"Let's clean these. We can eat together."
After some introductions, Liam got to know them. As Tanjiro recounted his experiences during the selection, his master patiently explained things to Liam as well.
"Since you are also Tanjiro's friend, you should listen too. From now on, you two will most likely encounter demons with special abilities. These are called Blood Demon Arts. Fighting them will be much more difficult than fighting ordinary demons. However, I am sure that you, and this young friend, will be fine."
After confirming that Liam truly had no malicious intent, Tanjiro's master finally relaxed. He could sense that Liam was an entity of terrifying power, at least strong enough to defeat him with ease. As for his upper limit? He couldn't even guess.