Chapter 270: The Wide-Open City
Three streaks of sword qi flew from Liam's blade, and the three demons that had leaped from the water-like shadow were all instantly bisected at the waist.
As they began to fall back into the darkness, Liam moved. He dove directly into the shadow portal before the demons could sink back in. He had traveled to the DanMachi world and the Demon Slayer world all within the last year, but he could still remember some of the anime's plot. For instance, he remembered that the inside of this demon's shadow was a watery space.
Two of the demon figures dove into the water after him. In this dimension, their speed was exceptional.
"Is this all the speed you have? You're much slower than I expected."
Liam's Selfless Sword Aura erupted from his feet, and with a single burst of acceleration, he appeared in front of one of the demons. Its body, which had just reconnected from his sword qi, was instantly sliced apart again.
Liam's eyes scanned the darkness. He unleashed the Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool. The entire underwater space, a massive world over a hundred meters in diameter, began to churn violently. The frantic vortex spun with the speed of a tornado. One of the demons felt its body breaking apart. Its own Blood Demon Art, its personal underwater world, was about to be torn to shreds from the inside.
Back on the surface, a massive shadow suddenly appeared on the ground, a hundred meters wide. A moment later, an outrageously large waterspout erupted into the sky. The two demons, along with everything else in their watery dimension, were flung into the air, only to plummet back to earth, screaming in terror. They never imagined their Blood Demon Art could be burst apart.
"Are you even human?!" one shrieked.
"Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow - Turbulent!"
Liam, still in mid-air, ran across the falling droplets of water as if they were solid ground, his movements creating a series of cascading splashes. In the next instant, he blurred into a shadow, and his Nichirin Blade flashed, dicing the two demons into mincemeat.
On the ground, the remaining demon was preparing to ambush Tanjiro from behind. But before it could, a single foot shot out from the box on Tanjiro's back. The immense force of the kick sent the demon flying.
"You... you're a demon! Why are you protecting a human?!"
Nezuko Kamado, her mouth muffled by the bamboo, couldn't speak. She merely snorted in response to the demon's question.
Just then, Nezuko and the others looked up. The massive waterspout from the shattered dimension, spinning with terrifying speed, was now crashing back down. A deluge of rain fell from the sky; the sheer volume of water was as if an entire lake had been overturned. The massive flood formed into a tidal wave, easily ten meters high, and rushed toward them.
In that instant, Liam landed in front of Nezuko. He drew back his left fist and punched the air.
"BOOM!"
A visible shockwave erupted from his fist, and the air pressure blasted outward. The colossal flood wave was instantly atomized. Even the demon caught in the middle of the deluge was blasted into several pieces.
Nezuko, Tanjiro, and Kazumi stared with wide, disbelieving eyes at this superhuman event.
Liam and Tanjiro walked up to the last remaining demon. Tanjiro sniffed the air and looked at it with a frown. "You smell like rancid oil. How many people have you killed?"
The demon glared at Tanjiro, its mind still reeling. It had just been blasted apart by a long-range punch. That guy must be a demon too, right? What terrifying power.
"If those women were allowed to live, they'd just get ugly and taste bad! I ate them for their own good!"
Hearing this, Tanjiro, enraged, slashed the demon's tongue out. "Enough! Tell me about Muzan Kibutsuji!"
At the mention of that name, the demon was gripped by an even greater terror, a fear that dwarfed its fear of Liam and Tanjiro.
"No! Absolutely not! If I tell you, he'll kill me!"
Taking advantage of Tanjiro's momentary pause, the demon, its body already fully healed, lunged at him. But before it could even get close, Liam's Nichirin Blade flashed. In a flurry of afterimages, the demon was sliced into dozens of pieces.
Tanjiro found a piece of his fiancée's clothing among the debris. "This was hers... I'm so sorry."
"Satoko..." Kazumi clutched the soaking, torn scrap of fabric, and tears streamed down his face.
The three of them left Kazumi to his grief and walked away. Liam knew that Muzan was an exceptionally cautious creature. He could also see through the eyes of other demons. Because of this, the Twelve Kizuki almost always had an intelligence advantage against the Demon Slayer Corps. Therefore, until he was ready to face Muzan directly, Liam decided he would not display power that exceeded the level of the Twelve Kizuki.
Nezuko climbed back into her box, and Liam and Tanjiro continued on.
In a dark corner, somewhere far away.
Muzan Kibutsuji was observing Liam and his group through the eyes of the demon he had just lost.
"A new Hashira? Hmph. No threat at all."
Although he said this, the ever-cautious Muzan would never reveal his own location. The power Liam had displayed was, frankly, only about the level of a Lower Moon.
"Still... what's the deal with those earrings?"
More than Liam's strength, Muzan was concerned about Tanjiro's earrings. He was certain he had killed every last one of the Sun Breathing users. Why was someone still wearing those earrings? Could he also use the Sun Breathing?
"Just to be safe, I should probably stay indoors for a while."
As the sun rose, Liam's peregrine falcon landed on his shoulder. "Next mission: Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture. There are rumors of a demon lurking."
So, Liam and the others set off again, heading toward Asakusa.
That night, they arrived. Even though it was dark, the city was ablaze with lights. The streets were paved with clean bricks, electric wires were strung overhead, and trams were running. Unlike the traditional towns, this place was incredibly prosperous. You could already see the shadows of modernity. Traditional homes were mixed with modern, steel-and-concrete buildings, and bright tungsten lamps illuminated the streets. The pedestrians wore Western hats and suits, everyone dressed fashionably.
Tanjiro's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Nezuko stared wide-eyed, curiously observing the city. As for Liam, he was completely immune to such sights.
Tanjiro clearly felt awkward. He tugged on Nezuko's hand and looked at Liam. "Mr. Liam, let's go this way?"
Liam followed him down a dim alley... only to walk in on a couple making out.
Tanjiro yelped an apology, grabbed the others, and scrambled past them in a panic. Liam quickly sidestepped them as well.
This place is certainly open-minded, Liam mused, though not quite as... enthusiastic as Orario's pleasure quarter.
The thought of a pleasure quarter made Liam instantly expand his senses. If the plot hadn't changed, there was a high probability they would run into Muzan here. If he could kill him here, it would save a lot of trouble. And thanks to his Extreme Ghost Sword Art: Tempest Style, he wasn't worried about causing civilian casualties. He could even cut Muzan's hands off before he could hurt anyone else.
Nezuko closed her eyes, seeming to be catching up on sleep. She spent all day in the box, and at night, Tanjiro would let her out for some fresh air.
Following Tanjiro, the three of them ended up in front of a stall run by a bald man. Liam and Tanjiro each ordered a bowl of noodles. Nezuko, being a demon, didn't really eat. Perhaps she replenished her energy through sleep and photosynthesis.
Suddenly, Tanjiro went rigid. The bowl in his hands fell. Liam shot out his hand and caught the bowl perfectly, not spilling a single drop of soup or broth.
Liam stood up, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "What is it? Let's go see."
Tanjiro's heart was pounding. "Yes! I smell it... it's the same smell from when my family was killed."
Liam immediately grabbed Tanjiro and threw him onto his shoulder. "Give me directions!"
Tanjiro, stunned for a second, instantly understood. "Straight ahead, fifty meters!"
Liam stomped the ground, his figure blurring into an afterimage from the udon vendor's perspective. He kept his movements as quiet as possible while maintaining a high speed. In less than a second, he had already covered the fifty meters.
"Through that alley!"
Liam nodded, flashing through the dark alley with Tanjiro on his shoulder. They emerged onto a crowded main street. Liam leaped, bounding lightly onto the roof of a building over ten meters tall.
"Right ahead!" Tanjiro pointed.
Liam nodded again, moving at high speed. They landed in front of a woman and a little girl. The woman was wearing white clothes, and the little girl was in an orange-red outfit.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked.
Tanjiro was stunned. "But... I thought..."
Liam grabbed Tanjiro and started to pull him away. "Sorry, we mistook you for someone else."
Tanjiro was a mix of shock and anger, wanting to say something but not knowing how.
"Ah! It hurts!"
The moment Liam heard the cry, he spun around. He saw the man (whom Muzan had bumped into earlier), now with the woman and child, his veins bulging all over his body, blood dripping to the ground. His eyes turned red, his teeth grew sharp, and he lunged toward Liam and the innocent passersby.
Tanjiro was distraught. "This isn't right! They were human just a second ago! They haven't eaten anyone! We can still save them!"
Liam nodded. "I understand."
He ripped the sleeve from his own shirt and used it to gag the newly turned demon. He then jammed his scabbard into the man's mouth.
It was then that Tanjiro saw it: Liam's pale left arm, ending in sharp claws.
"Mr. Liam... are you a demon, too?"
Ignoring the question, Tanjiro turned, his face contorted in rage, and roared at the surrounding city. "Muzan Kibutsuji! I will never forgive you! No matter where you go, I will never let you escape! I will chase you to the ends of hell and take your head! I will never, ever forgive you!"
Trying to hold down the two new demons, even Liam had his hands full. Thankfully, Tanjiro came to his aid. As the two of them struggled to restrain the thrashing pair, a crowd began to gather. Soon, three policemen in black uniforms walked over.
"Hey! You two! Let those people go!"
Tanjiro tried to explain. "We can't! They'll bite someone if we let go! Please, get something to restrain them!"
"Get out of the way! Or I'll hit you!" The officer raised his wooden baton, about to strike Tanjiro.
"If we let them go, they'll die!"
Liam was curious to see if these people, contaminated by demon blood, could regain their senses. If so, it would be another tool in the fight against demons.
"Blood Bewitchment: Scent of Illusory Dreams..."
A woman hidden in the crowd scratched her own arm, and a strange, sweet fragrance spread through the air. Everyone who smelled it, including the police, froze in place as if charmed. The scent triggered visual hallucinations, and their eyes could no longer see what was happening.
A man and a woman appeared before Liam and Tanjiro—more accurately, a master and a servant.
The woman at the head spoke gently. "Even after he became a demon, you still called him a 'person.' And you still tried to help him. In that case, let me help you as well."
In the few seconds she had been speaking, the wound on her arm had already healed. She wore an elegant kimono, and her purple eyes punctuated her mature, beautiful face. Elegant, intelligent, and mature—that was Liam's impression of her.
Her name was Tamayo.
"I am a demon," she said, "but I am also a doctor. Please, come with me. I also want to kill that man, Muzan."
And so, the three of them followed Tamayo and her companion into the night.
Meanwhile, in another alley.
Muzan Kibutsuji, wearing a white hat, black suit, and white pants, turned and walked into the darkness.
One of them was a demon, too? But not one I control. Perhaps he can be recruited. As for the one with the earrings... he must die. I'll send some subordinates to test their strength first.
In the dim alley, he bumped into a drunken man.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" the drunkard slurred angrily.
Muzan apologized quietly and tried to leave, but the man wouldn't let him.
"You're pale as a sheet. You about to die or something?"
This enraged Muzan. He struck out with a single punch, and the drunk man's head exploded like a watermelon, splattering everywhere.