Chapter 277: Prioritizing Beheading the Man-Eating Demon Player

"Attack together?"

Except for the Stone Hashira Gyomei, the rest of the Pillars were full of astonishment, thinking they had misheard.

Even if Oyakata-sama had suddenly recovered,

his frail body that had never undergone training, without even mastering a Breathing Technique, would likely be easily defeated by even those low-ranking Swordsmen.

To actually have the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest Pillar-level Swordsmen attack him all at once.

Had he been carried away by the excitement of his recovery?

Just at this moment,

Giyu Tomioka, who had been silent all along, suddenly drew his blade and launched an attack toward Oyakata-sama in the center of the courtyard.

Although he appeared to be a cold person, composed and quiet, rarely smiling,

in reality, he was just not good with words; his heart was very considerate, and he would strive to comfort and care for others, though he was often misunderstood.

Since Oyakata-sama was too excited after his recovery, he would just play along with his act to make Oyakata-sama happy.

He didn't even use a Breathing Technique; it was just the simplest slash.

He could retract the move in time if he sensed something was wrong.

Clang.

The Demon Hunting Blade, with its golden edge, collided with the Nichirin Sword.

Then, Giyu Tomioka was sent flying backward, only stopping when he hit the wooden railing.

"Even if it's to make Oyakata-sama happy, there's no need to go that far, Giyu-san?"

Mitsuri Kanroji covered her mouth, her cheeks flushed, her face full of embarrassment.

Oh no!

She had let her inner thoughts slip out without paying attention; Oyakata-sama and Giyu-san would both be angry, right?

The rest of the Pillars also had strange expressions on their faces.

They hadn't expected the Water Pillar, who usually seemed unsociable and had poor relationships with his companions, to possess such skills.

"Giyu, if you don't use your full strength, you will get hurt."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki shook his head helplessly.

It seemed his image of being frail and sickly was too deeply ingrained, leading his children to fear hurting him even when he actively requested a battle.

【Evil Hunter】, a Bloodline priced at 100,000 Reward Points.

Not only could it grant him the power to hunt demons, but his physical fitness would also be greatly enhanced.

Even though he had never trained, his current physical strength likely already surpassed that of the Stone Hashira in his original state.

"Pillars, believe in Oyakata-sama's decision."

Gyomei Himejima pressed his palms together, his skin rapidly transforming into stone, and as he brandished his broad axe and Meteor Hammer, he said: "The current Oyakata-sama is difficult to defeat even if we join forces."

He was a player who had seen with his own eyes Oyakata-sama defeat a giant Ox-Head monster in one move, and he understood the capabilities of Samsara Game items.

He, the strongest among the Nine Pillars,

with his tempered strength, innate divine power, the Stone Breathing he had studied to the extreme, and various exquisite combat techniques—

all of this combined, when sold to the Samsara Game without reservation, was only worth 10,000 Reward Points.

And the current Oyakata-sama,

possessing a game item worth 100,000 Reward Points—if judged purely by this point,

Oyakata-sama's current strength was a full ten times that of the strongest Stone Hashira!

Therefore, having the Nine Pillars attack with full force was not arrogance; rather, they, the Pillars, should be worried about not getting injured by Oyakata-sama.

"I believe."

Shinobu Kocho wore a smile, her slender, fair fingers brushing over the Novice Short Staff at her waist,

then she gripped the hilt of the sword beside it, drew the slender Blade, and charged toward Oyakata-sama.

"Oyakata-sama, is it okay to use Poison?"

"It is."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Shinobu Kocho took a deep breath and fully activated her Insect Breathing.

She moved like a butterfly flapping its wings, landing beside Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

Butterfly Dance: Caprice!

"Are you serious? What if you hurt Oyakata-sama?"

The Wind Hashira Shinazugawa Sanemi widened his eyes, not expecting Shinobu Kocho to even use her Breathing Technique.

Bang.

The next second,

the light-as-a-butterfly Shinobu Kocho was sent flying just like the annoying Water Pillar.

"Come together!"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's expression remained normal; he had sent two Pillar-level Swordsmen flying in succession without even catching his breath.

Although two Pillars had underestimated him and held back, not attacking with full force, it was enough to see the gap in strength.

"Is this not an act?"

It would be one thing if the annoying Water Pillar had suddenly turned into a comedian to play along with Oyakata-sama's act,

but Shinobu Kocho was not the type to play to the gallery.

Moreover, she had launched her attack after using Insect Breathing; even if she held back, the untrained, ordinary Oyakata-sama should not have been able to block it.

Realizing that Oyakata-sama was likely telling the truth,

everyone shed their relaxed expressions and, following the rhythm of the Stone Hashira Gyomei, charged toward Oyakata-sama.

"What a powerful aura!"

"I don't hear the sound of a Breathing Technique; Oyakata-sama hasn't mastered a Breathing Technique. What kind of power is this, exactly?"

Blades collided, sparks flying.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's combat technique was very crude, or rather, immature; he had never been baptized by the slaughter of battle.

However, relying on the shallowest of techniques, he used sheer speed and strength to tangle with the nine Pillar-level Swordsmen.

Thanks to the help of the Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima,

whose Reward Points obtained from hunting monsters had upgraded his 【Rock Body】 to Lv. 3, he constantly blocked the demon-hunting Blade of Oyakata-sama for the other Pillars.

This sharp blade, specialized for evil creatures,

struck the Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima, whose mind and body were entirely pure, without any added effect; and with the reinforcement of his rock-like body,

even so, it still made the Stone Hashira wince in pain.

"Is this the gap created by Reward Points?"

The Stone Hashira took a deep breath, enduring the pain of the demon-hunting blade cutting into his back,

twisted his body, and used his Meteor Hammer to heavily pin the golden blade against the gravel floor.

"Now!"

The remaining Pillars seized the opportunity, their blades held against Kagaya Ubuyashiki's neck.

Yet Kagaya Ubuyashiki still wore a smile; the golden blade in his hand suddenly vanished, and a golden necklace appeared around his neck, blocking the cold, chilling blades.

"The Power of Demon Hunting can manifest weapons of any shape, and..."

The darkness shattered.

The golden necklace cracked, blinding light shooting out through the fissures before suddenly exploding.

The Pillars had no time to react and were enveloped by the golden light.

They only felt their bodies grow warm, suffering no substantial harm.

"Rest assured, the Power of Demon Hunting is an ability that restrains evil creatures. As long as the attack power is restrained, the pure light of demon hunting will not harm ordinary humans."

A gentle, clear voice rang out.

Everyone felt differently, but all were filled with deep shock and confusion.

The strongest Swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, working together, had been defeated by their Oyakata-sama—who had spent years on a sickbed, had just escaped the interference of a curse, and had never received training.

It was like a dream.

"This is the power I obtained from the Samsara Game."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's expression turned serious as he said, "So, do you understand why I suddenly convened this 【Hashira Meeting】?"

The appearance of the Samsara Game meant that the Demon Slayer Corps, which had been suppressed by Muzan Kibutsuji for nearly a thousand years and could only passively exterminate demons, finally had a chance to counterattack.

All these years,

although the Demon Slayer Corps could eliminate ordinary man-eating demons, they suffered heavy casualties; it took several ordinary swordsmen to barely kill one demon.

Higher up, a single Lower Rank Demon Moon could easily wipe out dozens of Demon Slayer Corps members, requiring the mobilization of the Nine Pillars to decapitate it.

And the even higher-level 【Upper Rank Demon Moon】 had not been defeated for hundreds of years.

Dozens of Pillar-level Swordsmen had been cruelly killed by Upper Rank demons, and they couldn't even pass back information.

"The Stone Hashira and I have both become players of the Samsara Game."

"Just like what we are doing now, hunting monsters allows us to keep getting stronger."

"As long as there are more players in the Demon Slayer Corps, we will be able to truly sound the horn of counterattack!"

As his voice fell,

the Pillars all knelt down in unison, responding, "Understood!"

The miracle had already manifested and was laid bare before them; even if it were absurd, they had no choice but to believe.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki pointed to their Nichirin Swords and said, "I have already imbued your blades with the Power of Demon Hunting, which can help you eliminate evil demons."

Everyone lowered their heads.

The fragments of the previously shattered demon-hunting blade had merged into the Pillars' Nichirin Swords, with golden light resembling flowing water rippling on their surfaces.

This was an extended application of the Power of Demon Hunting by an Evil Hunter,

much like a church priest imbuing ordinary purified water with holy power, allowing ordinary humans to temporarily possess the ability to confront evil.

Once the Power of Demon Hunting was exhausted, it would need to be replenished.

"How exactly can one become a player?"

Shinobu Kocho, who always wore a smile, furrowed her brows slightly; how should one go about such a miraculous and irregular thing?

The Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima pressed his palms together and said, "It should be related to one's will. My Invitation Letter appeared because I was killing demons at the time; intense emotions and will caused the Samsara Game to choose me."

"Everyone, from now on, while hunting demons, search for those who possess a Game Invitation and ask if they are willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki said in a serious tone, "If there are abnormal demons, they must be eliminated with full force; the priority for elimination is above the Twelve Kizuki!"

From the little ninja Konohamaru, he learned that

not only could humans receive Invitation Letters, but even demons could potentially become game players.

Once a demon became a player, it would be the greatest threat to humanity and must be eradicated by any means before it could grow.

The Arad Continent,

everywhere there were empty towns: Noire Ferra, Bel Myre, Suju, Bantu, the Dark Elf Kingdom...

These lifeless buildings spoke of the glorious civilization this continent once possessed.

But now, they were all polluted and eroded.

"Stop right there!"

In the north of Bel Myre,

Uzumaki Naruto, his entire body erupting with golden Qi flames, swung his golden Claymore and smashed it heavily into the center of the battlefield.

Boom.

The golden Qi flames, like boiling steam, completely annihilated all the players who had come to launch a sneak attack.

To the side, Sasuke, who was controlling cursed flames, kept his gaze fixed on Uzumaki Naruto, who was squandering energy as if it cost nothing, his eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

"Looking at their appearance, they seem to be players from Kumogakure?"

Sasuke analyzed calmly and said, "There are also players from the Fire Empire; we are enemies, and the last thing they want is for the 【Family Territory】 of New Konoha to be built."

"I really want to charge into the capital of the Fire Empire and defeat the culprit who caused the village to become like this!"

Uzumaki Naruto gritted his teeth.

The village of Konoha, which was originally situated in the very center of the ninja world, had been reduced to a small place like Hot Water Village because of Orochimaru.

Fortunately, the ninjas of Hot Water Village were hospitable and willing to provide them with a place to revive Konoha.

"The current Orochimaru has already surpassed that Terumi Mei of Kirigakure and become the strongest player in the ninja world, right?"

Sasuke said with a calm expression, "Even if all the top-tier players of Konoha were to mobilize, they might not necessarily be able to defeat him."

He looked at his best friend, whose face was full of indignation, and hesitated to speak his mind.

Although the philosophy of Hot Water Village was peace,

did they really think anyone would be willing to give up their own village for no reason to a group of strange ninja to revive their village?

It was all because of the bloody methods of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But the current Naruto still believed in the upright and magnificent image of Hiruzen Sarutobi; unless he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi's dark methods with his own eyes, he would never believe it.

(End of this chapter)