The battle was not over yet.
Demons continued pouring in without end.
Kobe Hikaru’s Muramasa had already killed until it was stained crimson, and the purple patterns on the blade pulsed madly like living blood vessels.
[Demon Blade Muramasa: Mood: “Ecstatic.” It says it has not eaten this well in a very long time.]
This blade’s appetite was getting bigger and bigger.
Hikaru had no time to comment, because two more yokai had charged in front of him.
One was a four-armed ape.
Every arm was three times thicker than normal, veins bulging, muscles knotted.
Without question, this was another [Strength Change].
A pure power-type mutation.
The most direct kind, and also one of the most troublesome.
Not to mention, it had four arms.
Each arm was essentially one change.
Five Changes or above.
The other was a humanoid figure formed from gathered mist.
It had no facial features, only a vague outline, its body sometimes solid and sometimes illusory.
But it was not something that had turned into mist.
Rather, the mist itself had gained consciousness.
It had become a mist demon, a mirage yokai.
Without question, this was an extremely troublesome type of demon.
In this world, in this era, all things could become yokai.
However, the more rigid and “dead” an object was, the harder it was for it to become one.
Something like mist was even more difficult.
Yet if mist did become a yokai, then the moment it appeared, it would at least be a strong yokai close to Six Changes or above.
For mist to become a demon, it first needed to pass through stages such as knowing, moving, gathering, and dispersing.
Only after that could it fully control itself and transform into a demon.
And each of those stages was one change.
One hard, one intangible.
Hikaru thought to himself.
This combination was disgusting.
The instant that thought settled, the four-armed ape attacked first, all four fists smashing down at the same time.
Hikaru did not block directly.
He used [Ghost Step] to flash to the side.
But the moment he steadied himself, the mass of mist had already drifted over.
A black hand stretched out from the fog, aiming straight for his chest.
Bang!
Hikaru was sent flying by a palm strike and crashed through two corridor pillars.
This was exactly what made mist yokai so troublesome.
They solidified when attacking and turned intangible when attacked.
Unless one could seize the chance at the instant they solidified, there was no way to hurt them.
“Cough…”
Hikaru crawled out from the rubble, a thread of black blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.
That strike had not been light.
But his eyes lit up.
Because he had seen it.
Through the blood mist drifting across the battlefield, he had seen the pattern of that mass of fog whenever it solidified.
Before every attack, its “core” would solidify first.
That core was located at its chest, only the size of a fist, and it stayed solid for around half a breath.
Half a breath.
Enough.
Hikaru tightened his grip on Muramasa again and charged toward the mist.
The four-armed ape blocked his way, its four fists smashing down once more.
This time, Hikaru did not dodge. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
He raised his blade to guard.
Clang—!
Immense force crashed down, making both his arms tremble.
But he held firm.
At that moment, the mist drifted out from behind the ape, and that hand reached toward his back again.
Hikaru did not turn around.
He only shifted sideways, just enough to open the line of fire behind him.
Thrum!
A demon-purifying arrow howled through the air.
The mist tried to turn intangible, but the arrow came too quickly.
It had only just solidified its core in preparation to attack—
Then the arrow nailed straight into that core.
Spiritual power exploded.
The mist scattered completely.
Then Hikaru pressed forward, taking advantage of the moment.
His blade swept upward, and in the instant the four-armed ape froze, he cut off one of its arms.
The ape screamed and retreated.
But with only three arms left, it was no longer a threat.
Hikaru caught up.
Three slashes.
All four limbs severed.
The final slash took its head.
[Demon Blade Muramasa: Affection +4.]
[Current Affection: 93.]
[It has conveyed a message to you: “Almost there.
I’m almost full.”]
Hikaru looked at the panel, and his heart stirred.
Ninety-three.
Only seven points away from full.
He looked around.
There were still eight yokai left.
Enough.
“Continue.”
He charged toward the next yokai.
The battle that followed was almost a one-sided slaughter.
The already seamless coordination between Hikaru and Kikyo grew even more seamless.
Muramasa’s affection continued rising along with it.
94, 95, 96…99…
“This is the last one.”
Hikaru looked at the trembling one-horned snake demon in front of him.
It was only a Five-Change demon, and it had already been frightened out of its wits.
It wanted to run, but its body refused to move.
Hikaru raised his blade.
One slash fell.
The head rolled to the ground.
[Demon Blade Muramasa: Affection +1.]
[Current Affection: 100 (Complete).]
[Congratulations, you have unlocked all bonds with “Demon Blade Muramasa.”]
[Special Ability Three Unlocked: Bloodthirsty Immortality.]
[Effect: As long as the blade is stained with blood, your injuries will continuously recover.
The more blood there is, the faster the recovery.]
[Muramasahas conveyed its final bond message to you: “I am very satisfied.
To be wielded by you is my honor.
Now, let my abilities merge into your body.”]
As Hikaru had expected, he lowered his head and looked at Muramasa in his hand.
The black tachi was glowing.
Purple light spilled out from the blade, climbed along his arm, and seeped into his skin.
It did not hurt.
Instead, there was a strange comfort to it.
As if…
It had come home.
[Demon Blade Muramasa’s abilities are merging into the host’s body…]
[“Bloodthirsty Immortality” has been bound.]
[“Blood Resonance” has been bound.]
[“Bloodthirst Frenzy” has been bound.]
After his death, his blood had stopped flowing.
Now, it moved again.
Along with it, even his heartbeat returned.
For an oni samurai like Kobe Hikaru, yokai transformation and change were, in essence, the process of making his dead body move again, step by step, and restoring its vitality.
From now on, even without holding the blade, Hikaru could use the power of “blood.”
He looked at the prompt on the panel.
He could also feel his own progress.
He had completed the Sixth Change of the Body Transformation stage.
Blood Change.
From this point onward, he could use blood as his eyes and resonate with blood.
He could stir the blood within his body to enter a frenzy without side effects, and more importantly—
He could fight while bathed in blood, absorbing the blood on the battlefield to continuously restore himself.
Six Changes.
Body Transformation complete.
He had finally forged the first major stage of yokai evolution and reached the limit of Body Transformation.
He had obtained Muramasa’s permanent abilities.
This was a massive win.
He opened his other hand.
Invisible blood mist rose from his palm.
“…Not bad.”
He clenched that blood mist, then let it disperse.
Faint footsteps came from behind him.
Kikyo walked over.
Her face was somewhat pale, and she had clearly consumed quite a bit of spiritual power.
But when her gaze landed on Hikaru’s hand, her brows furrowed slightly.
“You… became stronger?”
“Mm.”
Hikaru answered briefly.
“I became stronger.”
Kikyo was silent for a moment.
But she did not ask further.
She only turned and looked toward the Shikon Jewel floating in midair.
That jewel was still releasing pitch-black light.
Magatsuhi was still restless.
“It is not over yet,” she said.
Then she added, “Tonight is still very long.”
Hikaru gripped the demon blade Muramasa tightly once more.
Although the blade’s abilities had already merged into his body, its sharpness, along with the perfect familiarity brought by max affection, still made it an indispensable weapon for him right now.
He replied:
“I know.”
…