Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

Yan Liang was well aware of his current situation.

As time goes on, the enemies he encounters will definitely become stronger and stronger. If he is to consider turning against Machima in the future, he cannot be without defensive capabilities. Otherwise, without the foundation of strategic maneuvering, every battle he fights will be like walking a tightrope, and he cannot afford the risk.

Therefore, he must seize this opportunity and cannot rely on guesswork.

Yan Liang didn't rush to speak. He leaned back on the bench, combining the information he knew with his brain, which began to work quickly.

After a full minute of silence, Yan Liangcai opened his eyes and uttered his first words in his mind:

"You've always emphasized the rules... In any case, your nature is definitely related to the rules."

Deep within his mind, the Demon of Severance immediately responded.

"Yes, that's the foundation."

The voice of the Demon of Slash remained unchanged, which was considered an acknowledgment of Yan Liang's approach.

Having received an affirmative answer, Yan Liang's thoughts became clearer. Following this line of thought, he continued to dig deeper and uttered his second sentence:

"However, rules are inanimate objects; if no one follows them, they are just empty words."

Yan Liang's eyes sharpened:

"Based on what you just said, your rules are not for any one person, but for disciplining everyone."

Upon hearing this, the thought in my mind paused for a rare moment.

Then, surprisingly, a hint of surprise appeared in that usually cold voice:

"nice……"

“Yanliang, you are more perceptive than I thought. Many people spend their entire lives only seeing the superficial constraints of the rules. Your ability to think this far surpasses that of most people.”

Of course, he didn't just read those books in the library for nothing.

Yan Liang thought to himself.

The praise didn't relax Yan Liang; instead, it made him even more focused. He knew he was incredibly close to the answer.

"As you just said..."

Having sorted out his thoughts, Yan Liang uttered his third sentence:

"The laws, morals, and ethics of human society—these so-called general rules—are constantly changing with the times. What is good today may be evil tomorrow."

"But you won't."

Yan Liang's words resonated deeply:

"No matter how times change, the essence you represent remains unchanged. Because you represent a truth that resonates with the hearts of the people—"

"That's right!"

In my mind, the voice of the slashing demon suddenly rose in pitch at that moment.

“Since you’ve already deduced this far…” its voice echoed, “then, tell me my real name.”

Yan Liang stopped thinking.

He pieced all the clues together.

To discipline others.

The majority decides.

Forced obedience to order.

And that "cutoff line"—the line that will be ruthlessly abandoned once the standard is not met.

The answer is obvious. What is the process of filtering out and eliminating people who do not meet the public's standards called?

Yan Liang pondered for a moment, then firmly gave himself the answer in his mind:

"You are... the Devil of Elimination."

"..."

However, when Yan Liang finally gave his answer, what he received was—

silence.

The silence lasted for more than ten seconds before it was broken.

"……disuse."

The voice of the Slash Demon rang out again. This time, its tone lacked its previous indifference; instead, it carried a sense of desolation:

"Elimination... Actually, you're right."

Yan Liang's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, eased slightly, but he didn't interrupt because he could sense that the demon hadn't finished speaking.

"I can be eliminated."

"But before that name, my name is actually the word you mentioned at the beginning—'rules'."

"However, unlike other demons born from human fear, I will change my name as human understanding changes."

"No matter how times change, no matter how humanity changes the words we use to refer to me, from rules to elimination, and now to the cutoff line... my name keeps changing with the public's awareness and choices, but my essence remains unchanged."

"The answer you just gave is close to my true nature."

"But that was only close."

"Have you ever thought about why elimination occurs in human society?"

Yan Liang frowned. He understood what the other person meant: he had guessed part of it, but had not touched the core truth.

At this moment, the Demon of the Slash Line suddenly changed the subject, throwing out another topic:

"Do you know why I stopped using the name 'rules' and let myself become the cutoff line, the 'elimination' you mentioned?"

"Why?" Yan Liang asked, following its lead.

"Because most people nowadays no longer accept the rules."

The voice of the slashing demon carried an almost sorrowful coldness:

“Go and see what society is like now, Yan Liang. The rules still exist, but they’re no longer very effective.”

"And rules that fail to function properly are pale and powerless."

"For those powerful people who are high above, rules are meant to be broken. They benefit from the rules, then trample them underfoot, and then create more rules for the weak to highlight their own strength and specialness."

"For the weak who struggle at the bottom, rules are something to escape. They hate the rules and do not acknowledge them."

"They believe they are weak because the rules are against them."

"This is tragic, because in my vision, within the system established by the rules, the strong can satisfy their desire for advancement through hard work. And the weak can also take the strong as their role models, thereby gaining the motivation to cross that elimination line."

"This is what I consider 'prosperity'."

"Prosperity and progress."

The Demon of the Severing Line delivered its final summary, its voice booming like a great bell:

So, it's very sad, in today's world—

"The strong want to break it, the weak want to escape it. No one truly respects the rules anymore."

“Yan Liang, in your human history there was once a philosopher named Nietzsche. Just as he was able to say ‘God is dead.’”

"As someone who has witnessed the changes in humanity, looking at this era, I can also say the same thing: 'The rules are dead.'"

"On the one hand, humanity no longer reveres the rules; on the other hand, humanity has chosen this version of itself."

"There's no point in me emphasizing the rules again."

“I no longer control the process; I only care about the result. I have changed; I have become a cold line.”

"Just as you said, I've become the cutoff line... someone who gets wiped out as soon as they fall below the standard."

Chapter 88 Slaying the Demonic Line, Please Be My Witness

The echo in my mind gradually subsided.

"I understand."

After listening to the other party's argument, Yan Liang maintained an upright posture on the bench and replied very rationally:

"The times have abandoned the process, so you have also shed the cloak of rules and become a cutoff line that only looks at the result. This is your current form."

"It's good that you understand."

The cold indifference in the voice of the slashing demon had subsided:

"Most people in this world either weep bitterly when faced with elimination, or try to find loopholes through all sorts of despicable means. But you are different, Yan Liang."

"In my eyes, you are a true strong person."

"Only you are worthy of me saying so much to you."

"A strong person?"

Upon hearing this word, Yan Liang couldn't help but give a self-deprecating twitch of his lips. He didn't know why the other person was saying so much to him, but he still subconsciously replied:

"Don't flatter me, what kind of strongman am I?"

Yan Liang sighed and pragmatically seized the opportunity to complain:

“When faced with real danger, I will still need to rely on your strength. And, to be honest, this strength is becoming increasingly insufficient these days.”

"If a more powerful enemy emerges in the future, preventing me from setting the rules, or exploiting loopholes in the rules... I'm not sure I'll survive."

His implication was that he wanted to cut off the demons and give himself some useful information.

Perhaps the Demon of the Cutting Line didn't understand, or perhaps it understood but ignored it, and simply continued:

"You've fallen into the narrow-mindedness of human perception again."

"My definition of a strong person has never been one who possesses great power."

Even the strongest can inevitably fall into a predicament and lose their will for a time.

"Even so, the strong can still carry out their ideas."

"That will will not change because of changes in the external environment."

The voice of the slashing demon pulled Yan Liang back to where it all began:

"Do you still remember the scene when we first met in that abandoned building?"

Yan Liang fell silent. Of course he remembered.

But for some reason, he couldn't remember the more detailed details very clearly.

Yan Liang could only vaguely remember that a crazed guy had set up a deadly trap, wanting his body.

At that time, everyone in the building was like a lamb to the slaughter, and he himself was one of them.

"At that time, everyone broke down in the face of an insurmountable fear."

The Demon of the Slash Line continued, "They cried and yelled, wagging their tails and begging for mercy like dogs, just to prolong their lives for even a second longer."

"That's the ugly side of the weak when they face elimination."

"But what about you, Yan Liang?"

"Among that group of people kneeling and waiting to die, you are the only one who stood up."

"In that seemingly hopeless situation, you did not show weakness, but continued to search for even the slightest chance of breaking the deadlock."

"The indomitable spirit you possess reminds me of the demeanor of the strong under the old rules and regulations. That's why I responded to you."

Upon hearing this lengthy analysis, Yan Liang simply shook his head slightly.

"You've made me sound too great."

Yan Liang lowered his eyes and calmly replied in his mind, "At that time, I didn't actually have any confidence. To put it bluntly, I was just gambling with my life."

Yes, at that time, no one could guarantee that he would survive.

Although he remembered some of the knowledge from the original work and deduced the existence of the second demon through some clues, deduction is still deduction. At that time, he was fighting for his life with the mindset of certain death.

Even if the Demon of the Slash Line were to praise him to the skies now, he couldn't deny that, at that moment, he had entrusted a large part of his life to the Demon of the Slash Line.

"Then, answer me a question, Yan Liang."