Chapter 272: The Power of the Oni God
Liam also noticed that the gravity around him was constantly shifting, but his strength had long since reached a point where he could overcome such things. The demon, Kyogai, could only affect the gravity and structure inside the house.
Liam's Selfless Sword Aura erupted from his feet. Gripping his Nichirin Blade, he blurred toward the demon. A massive flow of illusory water seemed to be guided by his blade as he completely annihilated the demon.
He remembered that this demon had some tragic backstory about his drumming never being acknowledged. But that had nothing to do with Liam. No matter what happened, this creature had eaten many humans. He wasn't like Tanjiro; Tanjiro would console an enemy before killing them. Liam just killed them.
Afterward, Liam and the others began to clear the remaining demons from the house. By the time it was all over, Inosuke Hashibira—the man in the boar's head mask—strode up to Tanjiro.
"You, kid! Hand over that box on your back! I'm gonna kill that demon!"
Tanjiro's expression immediately hardened. "No."
The impulsive Inosuke drew his swords, ready to attack. But just as he moved toward Tanjiro, Liam sent him flying with a single punch.
"Hey. We're both in the Demon Slayer Corps. What's the meaning of drawing your blade on a comrade?"
"Meaning? You mean I just can't use my swords, right?"
Inosuke tossed his blades aside and lunged at Liam.
"I really wish you understood the power gap between us."
Liam sighed. He pressed his right thumb against his index finger, then flicked his index finger forward, striking Inosuke squarely on the forehead.
Inosuke was launched more than ten meters into the air before crashing back down to earth. His boar mask fell off, revealing a face so delicate and beautiful it could have belonged to a woman. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.
Zenitsu Agatsuma watched the scene, horrified. "He knocked him out... with a single flick? That's insane!"
Seeing Inosuke unconscious, Tanjiro checked that he wasn't seriously injured and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Not long after, Inosuke woke up. After a round of mockery from Liam, he was put to work on the cleanup detail. They carried all the human corpses out of the house and buried them. Afterward, the group rested in the area until dusk, when the crow returned to urge them onward.
This time, Liam and the others arrived at a mansion displaying a Wisteria crest, a place that provided free aid to the Demon Slayer Corps. Everyone rested there for two days before the crow guided them to their next location.
Just as they were approaching their destination, Zenitsu Agatsuma's face went pale.
"Everyone, stop! This place is incredibly dangerous! We should just go back!"
Whining again. Liam was getting tired of it. "If you're that scared, just go back by yourself."
"I can't! If I go back, my master will kill me!"
"Then what will you do when someone you care about is in danger?" Liam countered. "You're so timid, you'll probably just watch them die and cry on the sidelines."
Liam's words made Zenitsu freeze, and then tears began to stream down his face. "Liam, I definitely don't want that to happen!"
The group soon arrived at the foot of Natagumo Mountain. A Demon Slayer, his uniform in tatters, came running toward them.
"Help me!"
His cry caught their attention. But just as he reached them, he was suddenly and violently yanked backward, flying into the air. Liam flashed forward, his weapon slashing at the air behind the Corps member. His blade struck invisible spider threads, severing them easily. The slayer, who had been pulled into the air, fell back to the ground.
From the man's body, Liam and the others understood the situation. There was a special demon here, one that could control other Demon Slayers and make them kill each other. And just as they realized it was spider threads controlling them, more slayers appeared.
"More are coming!"
Liam saw several more Corps members approaching from a distance, all of them being manipulated by threads, attacking Liam's group.
"They're also being controlled by threads! Try to cut the threads above their heads, on their backs, or in front of them!"
At Liam's warning, Tanjiro and Inosuke sprang into action.
Tanjiro noticed tiny spiders crawling everywhere. "Everyone, if you have any ability that can sense the demon's location, use it now!"
Inosuke immediately activated his Beast Breathing. Just as the group was about to move, several more demons emerged from the forest. Above them, a demon stepped out onto the spider threads in the dense canopy, walking toward them.
It looked down on the group with cold indifference, but before it could even say anything, Liam had already leaped into the air, his blade swinging for its neck. In a single slash, he decapitated it.
Tanjiro had only just had time to cry out in warning before the demon was killed. He quickly took a special knife from his pocket and stabbed the disintegrating corpse. As the knife entered the demon's body, blood immediately flowed through the hollow channel in the blade and into the hilt.
The other demons that had appeared were also dispatched by Liam with ease.
By the time the two Hashira arrived to provide support, the battle was already in the cleanup phase. The Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, and the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, stared curiously at Liam, and at the box on Tanjiro's back.
"Young man," Shinobu said, pointing to the box, "I sense the aura of a demon from in there."
This is it. Liam knew this was his chance to meet their leader. If he wanted to lure Muzan out, he needed a hook.
He stepped in front of Giyu. "She has never eaten a human. In the same way, I have never eaten a human. But is this kind of power something you can afford to refuse? As long as she doesn't eat people and can add to our fighting strength, I think you should reconsider."
The Water and Insect Hashira looked at each other.
Shinobu, still smiling, said, "This is quite the headache."
Liam showed the two Hashira his pale Demon Hand. This strange power, completely different from that of a normal demon, was something that seemed to affect the soul itself.
"It seems we must discuss this with the Master," Shinobu concluded.
Afterward, both Tanjiro and Liam were bound at the wrists and blindfolded, then carried away by others. To show his sincerity, Liam had offered his hands to be tied.
Bright sunlight spilled down. Liam and Tanjiro found themselves in the Ubuyashiki Estate. Several of the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira stood before them.
A man with gold and red hair, the Flame Hashira, spoke first. "Harboring a demon is a clear violation of the rules! He should be killed immediately! Decapitated along with the demon!"
Next to him, the Sound Hashira, a tall man with long white hair, added, "Then let me do it. I'll give him a flamboyant execution."
Liam scanned the crowd. If this negotiation failed, so be it. He would just break Tanjiro out of here, and they would find a way to lure out Muzan and deal with him themselves. And if that didn't work, he would simply wait until he returned to the DanMachi world, achieve his Third Awakening, and come back. With that level of power, even if Muzan was hiding at the bottom of the earth, he would find him and kill him.
"Why don't we let the boy explain himself first?" Shinobu suggested, changing the atmosphere in the courtyard.
Tanjiro frantically explained, "That demon is my sister! My family was attacked while I was away! When I got back, everyone was dead! My sister was turned into a demon, but she has never eaten anyone! Not in the past, not now, and she never will! She will never hurt a human!"
At that moment, the Wind Hashira, Sanemi, arrived holding Nezuko's box. He drew his Nichirin Blade and stabbed it straight through the wood.
"Stop!"
Tanjiro screamed in horror. Though his hands were tied, he charged toward Sanemi.
Liam moved instantly, snapping his ropes, and snorted. "Hmph."
A pure wave of Sword Intent, visible only as a ripple in the air, radiated from Liam and slammed into Sanemi's mind. In an instant, the Wind Hashira felt an agonizing, unbearable pain. He collapsed to his knees, blood pouring from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. He then fell flat on the ground, twitching like a dying fish.
Liam cracked his knuckles. "Demons can be good or evil, just like humans. If you're going to kill a demon that has never eaten a human, should you also try slaughtering normal humans who have never broken a law?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" the Serpent Hashira, Obanai, hissed from his perch in the tree. "To harm another Hashira... you have some nerve."
As the conflict escalated, Liam calmly walked past Sanemi, picked up Nezuko's box, and placed it next to Tanjiro. He then untied his ropes.
"I am here to negotiate, everyone."
"The Master has arrived!"
The other Hashira, who had been about to move, immediately dropped to one knee in a formal bow. Liam, however, remained standing. The Serpent Hashira launched himself from the tree to attack him.
Liam casually flicked a finger in his direction. An immense shockwave erupted in mid-air, striking Obanai and sending him flying dozens of meters into the sky. The gale force was non-lethal, but it was utterly humiliating, pushing him far away.
"I hope you can all clearly see the difference in our power. If I had wanted to kill you, not a single one of you here would be alive."
Liam pulled up his sleeve, exposing his pale Demon Hand to everyone.
"Are you... a demon?"
"You can call me a Demon Swordsman. But I have nothing to do with that creature, Muzan Kibutsuji. This power comes from an Oni God."
"An Oni God?"
Just the wind pressure from a finger flick had sent a Hashira flying so high he couldn't even react. What kind of monstrous physical strength was that? A single punch from him could probably destroy a building.
The Wind Hashira glared at Liam, wiping the blood from his face. "Why can a demon stand in the sunlight?"
"My apologies," a gentle voice said. "Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Liam are all Demon Slayers I have personally approved. I am sorry this has caused so much conflict."
The tense, sword-drawn atmosphere vanished. But it was clear the Hashira were not convinced.
The Flame Hashira shouted, "I object completely!"
"I have a way to kill Muzan," Liam cut him off. "So all your objections mean nothing. Shut up. Frankly, you Hashira have dreamed of killing Muzan for years, haven't you? Cooperate with me, and you can."
Then, Urokodaki's letter was read aloud by Kagaya Ubuyashiki's children, stating that if Nezuko ever harmed a human, Sakonji Urokodaki, Tanjiro, and the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, would all commit seppuku in apology.
Liam's gaze swept over the remaining Hashira. "You are all too weak. You want to kill Muzan without cooperating with me? I have a way to make you stronger. Are you really not interested?"
Remembering the terrifying power Liam had just displayed, they couldn't doubt his strength. But they were still wary. This was their first time meeting him, and letting go of their reservations based on his word alone was difficult.
"I believe you," Kagaya Ubuyashiki said, his voice silencing all dissent. "Liam is our Demon Slayer Corps' new hope. And Tanjiro was just targeted for assassination by demons sent by Muzan. This means Muzan is deeply concerned about something Tanjiro possesses."
Liam looked at Tanjiro. "It's the Sun Breathing. If you master it, you will become a threat to Muzan. However... I have a sword art that is even stronger than the Sun Breathing. Do you want to learn it?"
"What?"
The other Hashira stared at Liam, waiting to hear what he would say next.
"Of course, this sword art still depends on your own comprehension."
"After all this conflict, you are willing to teach us your sword art... Thank you, Liam," Kagaya said, bowing his head.
Liam gave them a brief demonstration of the Secret Sword Art. The version he performed now was significantly more profound than before, but its core remained the same.
"We can see his movements, but why is the sword qi he produces so astonishingly powerful?"
To defeat Muzan, the Hashira naturally craved more power. They were all painfully aware of the gap between themselves and the Twelve Kizuki, especially the Upper Moons. After Liam had demonstrated such overwhelming power, the Hashira, however unwilling they were to admit it, had no choice but to change their perspective. It was true: only strength could kill Muzan.
That made Liam an indispensable ally.
Tanjiro and Nezuko were given a place to rest. Liam, meanwhile, began a meeting with the Hashira. He explained his plan to them: recall all Demon Slayer Corps members to headquarters and begin a massive, joint training camp.
In exchange for teaching the Hashira the Secret Sword Art, they taught him their respective breathing styles. Compared to the pseudo-breathing methods he had created himself based on his memories and skills, the original, authentic breathing styles were far more beneficial to his comprehension of the sword.
The Hashira began to recall the sword art Liam had demonstrated, and then started instructing the Corps members who were returning from all over the country. The ordinary Demon Slayers' role was to wear down Muzan's weaker demons, conserving the Hashira's stamina for the main fight. But if possible, the Hashira—and everyone else—wanted to minimize the casualties.
Thus, every Hashira devoted themselves completely to teaching the swordsmen, striving to raise the comprehensive strength of the entire Corps.