Chapter 272: Can Humans Also Master Blood Demon Arts?

If one were to say,

that previously there was only the word of Oyakata-sama, they would have suspected whether he had been deceived by someone,

but now that even the Stone Hashira had begun to corroborate the seemingly absurd 【Samsara Game】, it caused the Flame Hashira, the Wind Hashira, and the others to begin to waver.

After all,

were it not for the fact that this matter was too bizarre, they would never normally doubt the words of Oyakata-sama.

Thinking back on it now, Oyakata-sama did not seem like the type of person who would be fooled by small tricks.

However,

the expressions of the group were conflicted; this was simply too hard to believe.

"Everyone, stay here for now; I will have the messenger crows notify the remaining Pillars to rush over as soon as possible."

Upon seeing that the Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima had also received an Invitation Letter, Kagaya Ubuyashiki made arrangements and said, "The Hashira Meeting begins ahead of schedule."

Matters concerning the Game Invitation must be made known to all Hashira as quickly as possible.

They must try their best to find the Swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps who possess an Invitation Letter.

These are the seedlings capable of opposing Muzan Kibutsuji; they must be carefully nurtured and awaited until they grow.

When necessary,

he could even sacrifice himself to preserve the growth of these Demon Slayer Corps players.

Shinobu Kocho's gaze was complex, filled with both curiosity and anticipation as she said, "Gyomei, did you also bring back a weapon from inside, just like Oyakata-sama?"

If everything were true.

She also wanted to become a player of the Samsara Game and obtain a weapon capable of increasing her strength attribute.

"Of course."

The Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima nodded and drew the short staff at his waist that had been ignored until now.

The other Hashira had not noticed when this short staff had appeared,

but Kagaya Ubuyashiki understood that this must be a novice weapon gifted by the system after entering the game, just like his own.

He had not expected that everyone's weapon would be different.

"This is my novice weapon; it can increase strength by two points."

The Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima tossed the short staff to Shinobu Kocho.

After Shinobu Kocho caught the short staff,

a warm current suddenly surged through her limbs and bones, and she hurriedly drew her own Nichirin Sword.

The blade was slender, with a barb like a Poison Thorn at the tip.

A faint fragrance wafted from the Blade.

It was a deadly poison.

Lacking sufficient strength, she generally used the method of coating the Blade with deadly poison and then injecting the Poison into the demon's body to kill it.

Even for an ordinary demon,

its body and skin were far harder than those of a normal person; for a Swordsman like Shinobu Kocho who could not even decapitate them,

one could imagine how much training, unimaginable to ordinary people, she had put in behind the scenes to be able to become a Hashira through her own efforts.

Hidden beneath her delicate face was an intense, extreme rage toward demons.

This time,

she did not unleash the Sword Skill that resembled the dance of a butterfly,

but instead, just like those ordinary Swordsmen, she gripped her Nichirin Sword tightly and slashed at a rock in the corner of the courtyard.

Bang.

Rock fragments fell away, and the slender blade cut half an inch into the stone.

If it were a normal Nichirin Sword, the blade mark could have been even deeper.

"Shinobu, your Nichirin Sword is not suited for slashing like that at all; you are being too reckless."

The Flame Hashira nearby spoke up to remind her.

Specially crafted for stabbing, the blade was too slender and would easily snap.

Yet, Shinobu Kocho acted as if she had not heard the Flame Hashira's warning,

and delivered another slash onto the rock.

It left a blade mark of the same half-inch depth.

This level of force,

even a member of the Aoi rank could achieve it just after completing the Demon Slayer Corps assessment.

Therefore, the Hashira had not yet reacted.

"Shinobu, it does not matter; I will try my best to help you find items that can increase strength in the game."

Only Kagaya Ubuyashiki sensed Shinobu Kocho's emotions.

The former Shinobu Kocho had been serious, earnest, humorless, and straightforward, with a competitive and hot-tempered side—a little girl who followed behind her older sister.

However, after her own sister Kanae Kocho died, Shinobu Kocho had closed herself off.

She began to imitate her sister's appearance,

wearing a smile all day long, believing that being unable to control one's emotions was a sign of immaturity and incompetence.

Thus, she rarely revealed her true emotions.

But now,

it was a rare instance of Shinobu Kocho showing a relatively intense emotional fluctuation in front of others.

Shinobu Kocho also realized her loss of composure, and the smile returned to her face.

She sheathed her blade as if nothing had happened,

looking at the Novice Short Staff of Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima, appearing somewhat hesitant to speak.

"Take it; for me, the strength provided by the Novice Short Staff is not significant."

Although Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima was blind, he could sense the emotions of every companion and understood Shinobu Kocho's current state,

so he generously gave the Novice Short Staff to her.

"Gyomei."

Shinobu Kocho looked at Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima gratefully, took two medicine bottles from her bosom, handed them to him, and said, "This is a secret medicine I made by gathering hundreds of medicinal herbs; after drinking it, you can resist the Poison of demons."

These were exclusive secret medicines that Shinobu Kocho had paid for out of her own pocket, and they were very precious.

But in her eyes, they could not be compared to the Novice Short Staff.

"Don't mind it, Shinobu."

Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima pressed his palms together and said with tears, "Everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps is a partner to whom we can entrust our lives."

"No matter what, I cannot take it for nothing."

Shinobu Kocho was very insistent,

handing the money for the Certification Points to Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima, and then handing over some other valuable medicinal agents as well.

These were the most precious things she could currently produce that could be on par with the Novice Short Staff.

"Accept it."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki knew very well,

that the gentle-looking, smiling Shinobu Kocho was actually very competitive at heart and unwilling to take advantage of Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima.

He said: "After the Hashira Meeting, the Demon Slayer Corps will undergo reforms."

"As the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, I have the obligation and responsibility to provide these pieces of equipment from the Samsara Game to the members."

Not just for killing demons more efficiently.

But also to protect the safety of the members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The Ubuyashiki Family has been passed down for a millennium, with the goal of killing the Demon King; although they have faced desperate situations several times, they have accumulated a substantial amount of assets.

Enough for the initial consumption of the members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"Also, Oyakata-sama."

Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima suddenly opened his jacket, revealing his lean and strong chest,

and the Hashira, who were proficient in breathing, suddenly felt a unique aura emanating from Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima.

Hum.

A luster like rock emerged,

and the skin exposed on Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima seemed to be granite with a hard texture.

He was already tall and large,

and now he looked even more like a stone statue.

"This is..."

Even Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked at Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima with a face full of shock,

for although he had wandered in the Lolan Forest for a long time, he had been killed by a goblin and had not explored the game world much at all.

But Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima was different,

as he possessed considerable strength himself,

and holding the Novice Short Staff, he had killed fifteen goblins before being ambushed and killed by a Frost Goblin.

With the Reward Points he obtained, he chose an item called a skill from the five items on the Game Shelf.

【Rock Body】: Capable of changing the body into rock, greatly enhancing defensive capabilities.

"Can humans actually master abilities the same as Blood Demon Art?"

The Hashira looked at Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima in shock,

for one must know,

that those troublesome demons, especially those granted the title of Twelve Kizuki, were most troublesome because they mastered all kinds of Weird Blood Demon Arts.

If humans could also have such weird, powerful, and troublesome abilities,

the difficulty of wanting to eliminate demons would definitely plummet!

(End of this chapter)