Kapitel 190: Chapter 189: Butterfly Shinobu
"He really is a man of few words. If I didn't know his personality, I would think he's quite difficult to get along with."
Inside the Fuji Family house, Daniel Davis met Tomioka Giyu, who wore a half-green, half-red outfit. From the moment they met, Giyu's expression hadn't changed, even after reading Urokodaki's letter handed over by Daniel. His responses were succinct, giving the impression that every word was valuable.
Daniel didn't mind. He knew Giyu's personality, recognizing him as a person who was cold on the outside but warm inside. Otherwise, Giyu wouldn't have spared Nezuko and directed Tanjiro to Urokodaki for training.
If any other Pillar had encountered Tanjiro back then, Nezuko would have been killed without question. The later Pillar meeting confirmed this, as nearly all the Pillars, including the two female Pillars, voted to kill Nezuko. Only Giyu stood by Tanjiro, even making a vow with his teacher Urokodaki to commit suicide if Nezuko ever harmed anyone.
Most of the nine Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps had personal experiences of family members being killed by demons. Giyu's sister was apparently killed by a demon. Under such circumstances, he restrained himself from attacking, allowing Tanjiro to take his sister to Urokodaki and even writing a letter for Urokodaki to receive them, which spoke volumes about his character.
As for whether Giyu, the Water Pillar, survived in the end, Daniel didn't know. The story was unfinished when he transmigrated, and although he was a casual reader, he knew quite a bit thanks to various content creators on certain platforms.
Despite Giyu's cold demeanor, he was very patient and detailed when explaining the workings of the Demon Slayer Corps and information about demons to Daniel. Although Daniel had heard some of it from Urokodaki, the retired mentor wasn't up-to-date on the current state of the Corps.
"There's a mission, let's go." The next day, after Daniel finished breakfast, Giyu approached and softly said these words before turning to leave.
"May your mission be successful." The head of the Fuji Family house respectfully bowed to the two as they left. All members of the Demon Slayer Corps fighting on the front lines against demons were worthy of respect, regardless of their strength or personal ambitions.
"San'en Village, huh." On the way, Giyu handed the mission note to Daniel. Giyu's Kasugai Crow was very different from the head Pillar's Crow that Daniel knew of; it barely spoke and quietly led the way, resting on Giyu's shoulder when tired.
"Pet traits often reflect their owners." Daniel recalled the head Pillar's Crow, which seemed to talk incessantly.
"That incredibly timid person has a sparrow, which seems to be quite brave despite his cowardice."
"With him around, wouldn't killing demons be a waste?" Following the silent Giyu, Daniel felt somewhat helpless. But there was no better way to leverage the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence network to gather information on demons.
"This demon might have a Blood Demon Art, so be especially careful." When they arrived at the target location, Giyu reminded Daniel as they prepared to enter.
A demon with a Blood Demon Art was far more dangerous than one without. Ordinary Demon Slayer members could only handle non-Blood Demon Art demons. Against a Blood Demon Art demon, they usually needed overwhelming numbers or a Pillar to handle the situation.
"I understand, thank you." Daniel smiled and nodded.
For regular members, missions didn't always guarantee encountering demons; sometimes disappearances were caused by humans or wild animals. But missions at the Pillar level were different. They usually only acted where other Demon Slayer members had died, requiring the presence of a Pillar after two or three squads had perished.
"The head Pillar seemed to always face demons with Blood Demon Arts. Ordinary members wouldn't stand a chance."
Tanjiro rarely faced ordinary demons. Even during his first mission, he encountered a powerful demon who had eaten many humans and gained immense strength. His first task after the exam was facing a demon with Blood Demon Arts.
Throughout his journey, Tanjiro transitioned from dealing with Blood Demon Art demons to Lower Rank demons and then to Upper Rank demons.
Take the Swamp Demon, for instance. Without Tanjiro's superhuman sense of smell, he wouldn't have stood a chance. For other Demon Slayer members, it would have been a death sentence.
Usually, it took two or more casualties before the Corps realized they were dealing with a Blood Demon Art demon and sent a Pillar to handle it.
The ten-level standard of the Demon Slayer Corps was more about mission completion rates than strength. Killing more demons allowed for promotion, which came with better benefits. Only at the Pillar level did strength become the primary consideration.
"With such a cold expression, people keep their distance. How does he gather information?" The villagers of San'en Village hurriedly avoided the cold-faced Giyu, giving him a wide berth.
Daniel soon realized Giyu's method of gathering information—listening. Although Giyu didn't have Daniel's keen observation skills, as a Pillar using Water Breathing, he could control his breathing to hear conversations from a distance.
In fact, there was no need to listen closely. The villagers' frightened and panicked expressions were enough to indicate something was seriously wrong.
It wasn't an issue of wild animal attacks. Living in or near the mountains, such incidents were unavoidable. Fierce wild animals like wolves, tigers, bears, and even lions and wild boars were common.
In the original story, Tanjiro's family, living deep in the mountains, had been attacked by a bear, which his father had killed due to his strength. These wild animals were both a danger and a source of food and trade for the villagers.
Attacks by wild animals were considered bad luck but wouldn't cause such widespread fear.
"One on each side."
"Got it." San'en Village was located in a small gorge with only two entrances. The other two directions were sheer cliffs. Although demons wouldn't die from falling off a cliff, it would still hurt. Guarding one entrance each gave them a good chance of intercepting the demon.
Silently eliminating demons was the Demon Slayer Corps' principle, a decision by the Ubuyashiki family.
They did not publicize the existence of demons or cooperate with the government, maintaining their secrecy. Daniel quickly deduced the reason.
While government cooperation might make demon hunting more efficient, demons had an advantage over the Corps in this regard. The most feared issue for those in power was not rebellion, but the pursuit of immortality. If someone offered them eternal life in exchange for eating humans and avoiding sunlight, some would undoubtedly accept.
Despite the high price, Daniel was certain some would take the deal. History was full of examples, such as Qin Shi Huang's quest for the elixir of life, which was relatively benign compared to some modern methods.
In the Marvel world, wealthy individuals sought ways to avoid aging and death, from vampire-like blood rituals to complete blood transfusions with young, healthy donors.
Despite knowing these methods were ineffective, wealthy and educated people still pursued them, ignoring the evidence.
Ancient emperors, obsessed with immortality in their later years, took various alchemical substances despite historical records proving their futility. The drive for even a small chance of success led them to these extremes.
This obsession was similar to the king in "Fullmetal Alchemist" who sacrificed his people for immortality, believing he could rebuild his nation afterward.
Thus, for over a thousand years, the Demon Slayer Corps remained a civilian organization, with the Ubuyashiki family recognizing this danger and keeping their activities hidden.
Of course, the general public's ignorance of demons was also due to Muzan Kibutsuji's efforts. As the most cowardly boss in history, Muzan didn't trust even the demons he created. Despite controlling their life and death, he forbade gatherings of more than three demons unless explicitly permitted.
This rule, while seeming cowardly, made sense in light of recent events, especially considering Nezuko's unique situation.
In some ways, Muzan's foresight resembled that of a cautious hero in another world. Compared to him, Daniel was careful but not to the same extent.
"If the demon is too strong, don't engage." After saying this, Giyu headed to the right side.
"I understand. He chose the most likely path for the demon. Is he worried about me?" Watching Giyu's back, Daniel thought.
Acting separately was best for Daniel, allowing him to use his secrets without being discovered.
Although Daniel's strength could easily convince the Demon Slayer Corps' leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, to cooperate against demons, he chose caution. Approaching directly would arouse suspicion, creating unnecessary complications.
Even Muzan, despite his cowardice, had been pressured by the Corps for over a thousand years. Before Yoriichi appeared, the Corps fought demons relentlessly, despite heavy losses.
While some sought immortality at any cost, others pursued ideals with equal determination.
Daniel's upbringing made it impossible for him to take an evil path. Like Melinda May, who struggled after killing a young Inhuman girl, Daniel felt uneasy doing anything against his conscience.
For ordinary people, this unease would fade with time. But for someone on the path to power, ignoring one's inner voice could lead to inner demons.
Higher levels of consciousness, like the Transparent World in "Demon Slayer," were real. Upper Rank One, despite his strength, never reached this state because he became a demon.
"Looks like my luck is better." Seeing a demon swaggering towards him, Daniel advanced. With Giyu around, he needed to act quickly.
This demon had green-blue skin, a
burly build, and strong arms, indicating immense strength. No wonder previous Demon Slayer members had fallen here.
"A Demon Slayer, coming to die again. Although you're not a Pillar, killing you might bring one next time. Then I'll become one of the Twelve Kizuki."
The demon frowned at Daniel, waiting to ambush a Pillar after killing previous members. Muzan's demons, especially those aspiring to the Twelve Kizuki, faced fierce competition.
To become one of the Twelve Kizuki, demons needed Muzan's blood, which was crucial for their strength. Non-Kizuki demons had two paths: challenge and defeat a current Kizuki, risking death, or kill a Pillar to earn Muzan's blood.
Muzan offered bounties for Pillars, his greatest enemies. He was too cowardly to act himself but used his demons without hesitation, knowing they could be replaced.
Even Upper Rank demons, boasting about their invincibility, failed to see that equal footing would allow the Demon Slayer Corps to easily defeat them.
Even Upper Rank One nearly died facing the elderly Yoriichi, despite his demonic advantages.
"A blade demon, huh." Seeing the demon's bladed right arm, Daniel thought.
Not all Blood Demon Arts were complex powers. Most were simple transformations, like turning parts of their bodies into weapons or animals. Only a few demons had truly unique abilities.
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