"Mr. Xia, why are we going to the Demon Slayer Village?"
Inuyasha was a little puzzled.
Li Xia offered a brief explanation:
"Since the Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Village make their living primarily by exterminating evil demons, there's a very good chance they've run into demons carrying Shikon Shards and wreaking havoc since the Shikon Jewel shattered! There are bound to be skilled fighters among them. It would be perfectly normal for them to have killed a few demons carrying Shikon Shards!"
"If we go there, Higurashi can collect those Shikon Shards and purify any that might have been tainted!"
Hearing this, Inuyasha's eyes lit up, and he was filled with enthusiasm:
That's right. Demon Slayers make their living hunting demons that cause trouble everywhere. They move around much more frequently than priestesses and monks who stay in one place to protect an area. It would be perfectly normal for the Demon Slayers in that Demon Slayer Village to have collected a few Shikon Shards from all those demons.
"Mr. Xia, you even thought of that. You're amazing..."
Before this, he and Kagome had been too caught up in things to see the bigger picture.
Li Xia waved a hand modestly:
"It isn't that simple! Ideally, the Demon Slayers in that village will agree to let Higurashi keep the Shikon Shards. That would save us quite a bit of trouble and free their village from the demons eyeing it hungrily. After all, more and more demons are learning that the Shikon Jewel has returned to this world. The faster and farther the news spreads, the more trouble there will be! Naturally, a Demon Slayer Village harboring Shikon Shards will be increasingly likely to come under attack!"
"If they don't want to let us keep them, that's fine too. While helping them purify the jewel shards, we can also remind them to strengthen their defenses!"
"I don't want that village to be attacked by demons because of the Shikon Shards, but even more than that, I don't want to see it wiped out because of a moment's carelessness!"
Li Xia's words deeply moved both Inuyasha and Myōga.
"All right, we'll head to the Demon Slayer Village afterward!"
The old flea, Grandpa Myoga, grew considerably more serious.
Inuyasha nodded as well.
This involved Shikon Shards, and quite possibly more than one, which greatly interested him.
Besides, his companion Li Xia had proposed it. He had witnessed this companion's outstanding performance in the previous two incidents. He had already accepted him, and his words and actions deserved his trust.
Besides, they were only making a trip there. It wasn't some death trap.
With all these factors in play, he had no reason to object.
What Inuyasha failed to notice was that Li Xia's say within the group had grown considerably without anyone realizing it.
Previously, Inuyasha had insisted on investigating the eastern region, which had led them straight into that group of Spiderheads.
Now, he was taking the initiative to ask someone else.
It might have seemed like a tiny, insignificant matter, but its implications were enormous.
Just then, as Li Xia toyed with the Thunderstrike Blade's spearhead, he turned his gaze to old Myōga. "Grandpa Myoga, you've seen a great deal. Do you know any accomplished master smiths?"
"Accomplished smiths?"
The moment the old flea heard that, he understood what the young man before him intended:
"You want to repair this weapon passed down through the Thunder Beast Tribe?"
"Yes!"
Li Xia made no attempt to conceal his intentions and spoke frankly:
"I'm far too weak. I can manage against some small-fry demons and even lower-class ones, but middle- and upper-class demons are a bit beyond me! Never mind the great demons who rule over their own territories!"
"The Shikon Shards have scattered everywhere. They're bound to attract those great demons' attention!
"The main reason they haven't drawn any great demons here yet is that Musashi Province has a large human population and relatively few demons in the wilderness, so news doesn't travel easily among demons! There's also the fact that very little time has passed since the Shikon Jewel reappeared after fifty years and shattered into countless pieces!"
The fact that demons such as Iron Chicken and her daughter, Ōgamaru, Dragon Man, and Numawatari knew nothing about the Shikon Jewel offered indirect support for this.
Otherwise, those demon tribes or somewhat weaker great demons would have made their moves long ago.
"Once the news has spread completely, powerful demons will undoubtedly come one after another!
"With my current strength, not only will I be unable to help when that happens, I'll become a burden on the group!
"So whether it's for myself or for my companions, I have to grow stronger!
"Repairing the Thunderstrike Blade, reforging this demon weapon, and obtaining a well-made weapon is one way to quickly improve both my own strength and the group's! And my Shikigami is a little unusual. It happens to be able to grant me demon power! That will help me wield demon swords and spears that only demons can use!"
Every word Li Xia spoke was well-founded and forceful.
He was doing this not just for himself, but for the group as well.
"That's Mr. Xia for you..."
Both Inuyasha and Myōga nodded repeatedly as they listened.
But once they realized that their future enemies would shift from small-fry demons to great demons, they inevitably grew a little nervous:
"Mr. Xia, the Shikon Shards will attract those great demons?"
Hadn't his dream back then been to become a great demon himself?
He had some idea of how powerful great demons were.
"Inuyasha, did you think Yura of the Hair, who came after you at the beginning, was powerful? Be honest!"
Yura of the Hair?
"She was a very troublesome, dangerous demon with considerable demon power! If Kagome hadn't helped me by pinpointing her weak spot, I wouldn't have stood much chance back then..."
He had been outmatched. There was no point denying it.
"Of course, that was before I got Tessaiga. Now that I have Tessaiga, that demon woman would be no match for me."
Inuyasha added this with complete confidence.
"What about the Thunder Beast Brothers, then?"
"They were troublesome too!"
Troublesome was an understatement. He and Kagome had nearly died.
And that had been with Tessaiga in his hands.
"Then here's the question. Why, after Yura of the Hair and the Thunder Beast Brothers, have all the demons we've run into been middle- or lower-class ones? Why have we barely encountered any powerful upper-class demons since?"
"Well..."
Inuyasha was stumped.
The ones they had encountered afterward were weaklings such as the Spiderhead Leader, Demoness Urasue, and Weasel Demon. They hadn't run into any respectable upper-class demons at all, let alone a Five-Star Great Demon.
Had this happened because Kagome and I took out the stronger ones right at the start?
No!
That can't be the whole reason!
Yura of the Hair and the Thunder Beast Brothers can't have been the only powerful demons in this region!
There must be other demons with considerable strength!
But where have those demons gone?
Something suddenly occurred to him, and Inuyasha's expression changed sharply.
Seeing this, Li Xia smiled faintly. "It looks like you've realized it..."
With a grave expression, Inuyasha asked, "Is there a troublesome demon collecting Shikon Shards, just like us?"
Li Xia nodded:
"Exactly!
"And whoever it is, they're definitely a very troublesome opponent!"
As he spoke, he unfolded the map and began marking off areas one by one...
"This circle is the area where you and Higurashi first traveled;
"This area beside it is where you've been active lately;
"But there hasn't been any more news of Shikon Shards from farther out. That's very unusual!
"So my bold guess is that an exceptionally dangerous fellow has probably appeared beyond the area we've been searching, especially in the mountain forests of northern Musashi Province! He's hunted down most of the demons carrying Shikon Shards over there!"
Myōga wasn't sure whether he was imagining it, but he kept feeling that the human boy before him was hinting at something specific.
"A dangerous fellow who's hunted down the other demons?"
The old flea murmured to himself.
Come to think of it, this was probably the main reason Inuyasha's early battles had seemed so difficult, while he spent a long stretch afterward dealing with nothing but underlings:
The two powerful opponents had been eliminated early precisely because they were strong and well-informed.
Most of the other middle- and upper-class demons had likely caught Naraku's attention and were being reserved for his later Venomous Insect Technique, or had already had the misfortune of being absorbed by him.
And because Naraku wanted everything for himself, news of Shikon Shards appearing across vast areas had largely been suppressed!
With his many lesser demons and his ability to use puppet doubles, Naraku was indeed capable of doing that!
And so...
This produced the strange phenomenon in the original story where "many great demons seemed to disdain joining the fight for the Shikon Shards."
(It wasn't that those great demons and demon tribes weren't interested in the Shikon Shards. Rather, news was already difficult to obtain and troublesome to relay between regions in the Sengoku Era. On top of that, Naraku, the local power, was deliberately suppressing it in secret. That was why the great demons ruling their respective territories had barely made a move.)
"Mr. Xia, I understand now...
"Hey, Myōga, you know some famous demon Swordsmiths, don't you?"
Inuyasha was very polite toward Li Xia;
But when it came to old Myōga, Inuyasha showed no respect whatsoever for his elders.
"Hmm... Mr. Xia's circumstances are indeed quite unusual.
"In that case, I'll take you to see Totosai.
"He should be able to repair this Thunderstrike Blade, or even turn it into an even better weapon..."
Held between the thumb and forefinger of Inuyasha's right hand, Grandpa Myoga knew better than to resist.
P.S. It's the end of the month. If you have any monthly votes, please give them to me! My heartfelt thanks!
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