"Hahaha!" The demon laughed triumphantly. With hostages in hand, it felt far more confident facing Hakuya.
"Look what I have! If you don't want them dead, hand over your sword!" the demon commanded.
In its eyes, the most threatening thing was Hakuya's blade. Without it, the demon believed Hakuya would be nothing more than prey.
If Hakuya refused, it would simply devour the siblings, become even stronger, and then kill him afterward.
Of course, this was all speculation on the demon's part. In reality, Hakuya didn't take the threat seriously at all.
First, even if the demon ate Tanjiro, it wouldn't really affect him.
Second, Nezuko was also a demon, so there was no reason to worry about a wild demon easily killing her.
Third, as a demon herself, Nezuko's fighting ability was not to be underestimated—even though she'd never consumed human flesh.
"Using them to threaten me is the most foolish thing you could do," Hakuya said calmly.
The moment Hakuya finished speaking, Nezuko suddenly erupted, kicking the demon's head clean off with a powerful strike.
"How is this possible?! This girl is a demon too! Why is she with humans?!" the demon's severed head screeched.
"Water Breathing!"
As Nezuko kicked, Hakuya activated the Water Breathing technique he'd received as a mission reward. With Water Breathing engaged, all of his physical abilities were significantly enhanced.
In a single breath, Hakuya closed the distance to the headless demon body and slashed through the arm gripping Tanjiro. Tanjiro fell to the ground along with the severed limb.
Now freed, Tanjiro quickly pried the demon's hand off his arm. "Thank you, Hakuya-san!"
Hakuya ignored the gratitude and instead said, "I'm leaving the demon's head to you. Consider this a test. Don't let it escape! If you do, more people will suffer—just like your family did!"
Tanjiro was stunned. He hadn't expected Hakuya to entrust him with such a task. However, Hakuya's words truly resonated with him.
"What about you, Hakuya-san?" Tanjiro asked before taking action.
"I need to deal with this demon's body and protect your sister at the same time," Hakuya replied.
Tanjiro quickly understood. Hakuya couldn't handle both the severed head and body simultaneously. If he tried doing everything alone, he'd likely let part of the demon escape.
Demons had incredible regenerative abilities. As long as they weren't completely destroyed, even the smallest fragment could eventually recover.
"I understand!" Without asking any more questions, Tanjiro grabbed his well-worn axe and went after the demon's head.
Hakuya activated Water Breathing again and delivered more than a dozen slashes to the headless demon body. His attacks weren't particularly powerful—each strike only left wounds of varying depths without completely destroying the body.
This was exactly the effect Hakuya intended. After all, this demon body wasn't the main threat. If he destroyed it completely, it might split into multiple fragments, increasing the chances of escape.
The reason Hakuya didn't kill the demon's main body directly was because of Tanjiro.
He was, after all, the protagonist of this world, and this was an experience he needed to have. If Hakuya did everything for Tanjiro, it would trigger a butterfly effect that could lead to unpredictable and serious consequences.
Therefore, Hakuya understood that his role was to guide, not to lead.
More importantly, Nezuko held tremendous significance for Hakuya. After all, his very survival depended on her.
Therefore, everything Hakuya did was solely mission-related. Anything unrelated, he naturally ignored.
Under the power of his enhanced blade, attacks that had previously been ineffective against the demon gradually took their full toll.
Because the demon's wounds, suppressed by the blade's properties, couldn't heal quickly, blood gushed out profusely, coating the demon's entire body.
The demon's form became completely crimson, resembling a blood-soaked corpse. The countless wounds inflicted by the blade made it even more horrifying to behold.
It could be said this was a hundred times more brutal than simply killing the demon outright. Hakuya's actions were like death by a thousand cuts, without a trace of mercy.
Due to the massive blood loss, the demon's movements became incredibly sluggish, nearly collapsing entirely.
The demon's main body—its severed head—was also significantly affected. While not fatal, it gave Tanjiro an opportunity to fight back.
The demon head, having regrown two arms, confronted Tanjiro. When Tanjiro swung his axe to strike it down, the demon caught the handle with its newly grown hands while its hair tangled around the weapon.
Both struggled for control of the axe. The demon, weakened by the effects on its body, lost considerable strength. Tanjiro seized the opportunity and rammed the demon with his notoriously hard head.
The impact left the demon dazed and completely drained. Tanjiro capitalized on the moment and swung the axe with all his might toward a nearby tree trunk.
Because the demon's hair was still entangled in the axe handle, and it remained disoriented, it had no time to free itself. Ultimately, it became pinned to the tree.
Meanwhile, the demon's body, under Hakuya's relentless assault, finally collapsed. Blood pooled out from countless wounds.
The ground was already stained red, and the air grew thick with the metallic scent of blood.
Seeing the demon fall, Hakuya finally stopped his assault. After absorbing so much demon blood through countless strikes, his blade now glowed with a brilliant purple light.
[Demon Slayer Blade Upgraded: Common Lower Grade → Common Upper Grade]
[Attribute Effects Increased by 5%]
At that moment, a notification from his interdimensional system entered Hakuya's mind, filling him with satisfaction. The blade had actually upgraded! If he left it soaking in demon blood overnight, wouldn't it become a divine artifact?
The thought excited Hakuya, though he knew such an idea was probably unrealistic.
He suspected subsequent upgrades would require increasingly higher-quality demon blood. This was his personal speculation. After all, before becoming an interdimensional traveler, Hakuya had played plenty of online games—he understood how progression systems worked.
"Hakuya-san, I've subdued the demon! Come over here!" Tanjiro called out, waving him over.
Hakuya sheathed his blade and said to Nezuko, "Come with me."
He then walked toward Tanjiro. Nezuko seemed to understand his words and followed obediently.
"Tanjiro, kill it," Hakuya said calmly, looking at the boy.
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P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)