“Polpol, lend me a hand here…
my brain hasn’t finished regenerating yet.”
Lying on the dusty ground, the gunshot wound on Horne’s forehead had already sealed shut, but the human brain was an intricate organ that rebuilt itself slowly.
Consequently, Horne’s arms and legs felt uncoordinated and sluggish.
“I’m coming, brother!”
Polnareff rushed over and hauled Horne upright.
“Mon dieu…
it’s absolutely terrifying that you can take a bullet straight through the brain and just walk it off.”
Only today did Polnareff learn the freakish truth about Horne’s biology.
“I won’t die from it, but it sure as hell hurts like a bitch.
If you ever square off against vampires in the future, aim to destroy their brains—even if it doesn’t kill them instantly, it scrambles their motor functions.”
“Understood, noted.”
“Alright, good to go.
Cellular repair complete.”
Horne shook out his limbs, the sluggish numbness vanishing completely.
“Are you sure letting Hol Horse run off like that is wise?”
Had Horne not explicitly ordered him to let Hol Horse live to feed Dio false intel, Polnareff would have skewered the cowboy on the spot.
“Don’t sweat it.
Karma will catch up with him soon enough, and we’ll have plenty of opportunities to crush him later.”
In Horne’s eyes, Hol Horse posed zero threat; he was a coward devoid of true warrior resolve.
“For now, this is where we split up temporarily.
I’ll meet you guys in Egypt.”
With that, Horne pulled a travel cloak from his storage space, concealing his face as he slipped out of the alley to embark on his journey to Venice, Italy.
Meanwhile, shifting our gaze across dimensions to the world of Demon Slayer…
Inside the Ubuyashiki estate.
Amane Ubuyashiki, wife of the Demon Slayer Corps Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki, was reading Shinobu Kocho’s urgent dispatch to two blind men.
“‘The so-called Bright Red Nichirin Blades represent a heightened state where the blade turns crimson hot by accumulating immense thermal energy.
“‘A Nichirin Blade ignited into this Crimson state inflicts devastating trauma upon demons.
“‘Furthermore, wounds carved by a Crimson Blade severely paralyze a demon’s cellular regeneration.
“‘Previously, the Crimson Blade was thought to be the exclusive domain of the progenitor of Sun Breathing, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
“‘However, it is by no means unique to him; any weapon forged from Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore can be ignited into a Crimson Blade.
“‘At present, there are three known methods to achieve this transformation:
“‘First: possessing titanic grip strength, using pure physical pressure to force thermal accumulation within the metal.
“‘Second: violent friction, clashing two Nichirin Blades together repeatedly to generate scorching kinetic heat.
“‘Third: directly heating the Nichirin Blade with open flames until it glows red hot.
“‘At this stage, the Hashira best equipped to manifest the Crimson Blade is undeniably the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.
“‘We request that Master Himejima attempt the second method to bring forth the Crimson Blade once more.'”
As Amane finished reading the letter, Kagaya turned toward the other blind man in the room, the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.
“That is the situation.
Carry no burden in your heart; simply do what you can.
“Even if you cannot manifest it right now, there are other avenues we can explore.”
Kagaya spoke with serene gentleness, his melodious voice carrying an innate power that soothed the soul.
“Rest assured, my Master.
If this letter speaks the truth, I will manifest the Crimson Blade into this world with my own two hands!”
Standing seven-foot-two, the towering, hyper-muscular giant wept openly from his blind, milky eyes.
His Hashira haori bore the sacred Buddhist prayer: Namu Amida Butsu.
His massive palms clasped together around prayer beads, marking him as a devout, pious Buddhist.
He, too, finally glimpsed the dawn of hope to eradicate the Demon King forever.
Gyomei unhooked his signature weapon—unlike traditional katanas, he wielded a massive spiked flail and broad axe linked by an unbreakable iron chain.
The weapon was absurdly heavy; only the Stone Hashira, the mightiest among the Hashira, possessed the monstrous strength to wield it.
He whipped the heavy chain, violently clashing the axe head against the spiked flail.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
One strike, two, three, four…
until the tenth violent impact, where the accumulated kinetic heat breached the critical threshold.
The Crimson Blade was reborn into the world.
Though Gyomei was blind, his senses clearly felt the blistering, radiant heat radiating from the glowing crimson steel.
“Namu Amida Butsu!
Praised be Buddha!
A blessing!
A true blessing!!”
Tears of profound joy streamed down his scarred face.
Beside him, Kagaya wept tears of relief as well.
“Quickly!
Dispatch a message to the Butterfly Mansion at once and invite our special guest!
I must meet this man in person!!”
Kagaya shouted with uncharacteristic excitement; though the exertion strained his fragile, ailing body, his racing heart could not be contained.
Meanwhile, back at the Butterfly Mansion, after days of rigorous trial and error, Horne had finally achieved a breakthrough.
When Shinobu dropped by his shed that evening to check on his vitals, Horne looked her dead in the eye and asked:
“Shinobu, can I suck on your massive tits?”
“What kind of vulgar nonsense are you blurting out all of a sudden?”
Over the past few days, Shinobu had grown accustomed to Horne’s shameless banter.
She looked at Horne, who had compressed his body down to the size of a ten-year-old boy, wondering what new scheme he was hatching.
“I found the cure to eliminate my cannibalistic hunger, but it requires substituting human flesh with breast milk.
“That’s why I’m asking if I can nurse on your tits.”
Shinobu froze for a second.
“Even if you ask me that…
I’m not lactating.
I don’t have milk to give you.”
“Don’t worry about that; I’ve already engineered the biological solution.
I just need you to tell me yes or no!”
Gazing into Horne’s eager, burning eyes, Shinobu fell into deep contemplation.
Through their daily interactions, she had already realized that her feelings for Horne had long transcended simple friendship.
What she needed to cross now was the final boundary within her own heart.
(If drinking breast milk truly cures his cannibalistic urges, could he even be considered a demon anymore?
(Surely not…
and if he isn’t an evil demon, being with him wouldn’t violate the code of the Demon Slayer Corps, right?
(Ah, to hell with it!)
Following a brief mental tug-of-war, Shinobu made up her mind.
“Fine.
Let me freshen up first.”
With that, Shinobu slipped out of the shed, returning shortly after in fresh, loose robes.
Her damp hair and the faint, sweet scent of lavender radiating from her skin teased Horne’s senses relentlessly.
Stepping before Horne, she let her robes fall away, revealing her pale, soft, voluptuous naked body right before his eyes.
Usually concealed beneath her conservative Demon Slayer uniform was a body dripping with pure, sinful sex appeal.
Heavy tits, a slim wasp waist, a plump round ass, and juicy, athletic thighs—the total package drove Horne wild with desire.
“What do I need to do next?”
Looking down at the massive, throbbing monster hanging between the legs of his shrunken form, an intoxicating itch fluttered through her lower belly.
“Just lie down and let me handle everything.”
Shinobu reclined onto the tatami bedding, and slender, living tendrils formed from blood vessels sprouted from Horne’s arms.
Tiny bone needles tipped the tendrils, delicately piercing specific acupoints across Shinobu’s torso.
Horne injected synthesized bio-hormones directly into her bloodstream to trigger lactation.
Within moments, Shinobu felt a warm, heavy swelling sensation building within her breasts.
“Relax, that means the hormones are working.
But to stimulate milk flow, we need some hands-on massage.”
Horne cupped the soft, heavy mounds with his hands, applying a seasoned lactation massage technique.
As his skilled hands worked her flesh, Shinobu let out soft, breathy whimpers of exquisite pleasure.
Her dark pink nipples hardened into stiff, sensitive peaks beneath his kneading fingers.
Down below, her womanly gates unlocked, slick juices soaking through her panties onto the bedding below.
Under Horne’s steady, rhythmic stimulation, sweet white milk finally welled up and trickled over the crest of her pale breasts.
“Look, it’s flowing.”
“Mm…”
Shinobu’s face flushed bright crimson—partly from embarrassment, but mostly from mounting anticipation.
“Down the hatch!”
Horne latched onto Shinobu’s breast, greedily suckling the rich, sweet milk straight from her nipple.
Sucking the left breast, switching to the right, sometimes kneading both together while guzzling her sweet nectar, his hands never resting.
Their bodies pressed flush against each other, allowing Shinobu to vividly feel the heat pressing against her lower belly.
A monstrous, rock-hard shaft burning like a furnace, absurdly mismatched with his boyish frame.
That scorching heat radiated through her skin straight into her wet, throbbing core.
Under the relentless assault of Horne’s mouth and fingers, a feverish, intoxicating heat consumed Shinobu’s senses.
She gasped softly, looking down at him.
“Is it…
is it working?”
Snapping out of his blissful trance, Horne focused inward, scanning the demon blood coursing through his veins.
“Yes!
It’s working perfectly!!”
Horne cheered in triumph.