Inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan was furious once again. It was an impotent rage, born of the fact that he had absolutely no idea what had happened to Hantengu, nor did he have any means to take action regarding him.
Back at Mount Momoyama, Horitake could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The curse binding within Hantengu's body had been cleared, and the translucent mark on his skin had been removed. It could now be said that they were completely safe.
Mission accomplished, Horitake spoke to Jigoro and Zenitsu:
"There are no more issues. Even though Hantengu, Upper Moon Four, has been captured alive by us, I will take him back to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters another day and present him as a gift to Oyakata-sama."
Jigoro and Zenitsu nodded in unison.
But it wasn't over yet.
After all, Hantengu was an Upper Moon. To simply leave him lying on the table—wouldn't that be treating him too poorly? That wasn't the Demon Slayer Corps' way of hospitality, was it?
They had to treat Hantengu properly; make sure he ate well and lived well.
Well... since demons needed to eat humans, "eating well" might be difficult to arrange, but "living well" was definitely manageable.
Horitake looked around and casually found a thick wooden box, about a foot square.
This box had been pulled out randomly by Zenitsu earlier when he was rummaging through the chests. Who knew what it was originally used to hold?
Regardless of what it held before, it could now hold Hantengu.
Opening the lid, Horitake deftly placed the rat-sized Hantengu inside. And wouldn't you know it, the size was perfect.
But simply putting Hantengu inside wasn't enough. Although Hantengu was injured beyond belief and could no longer move, there was no guarantee he wouldn't struggle or try to escape.
To prevent any escape attempt, Horitake fetched a hammer and several nails, and then...
A truly cruel scene unfolded.
Horitake picked up a nail, aimed the sharp point directly at Hantengu's heart, and swung the hammer down hard. The nail pierced viciously through Hantengu's heart, went through the thick wooden bottom of the box, and pinned him firmly inside!
One nail was obviously not enough. Next, Horitake drove nails through Hantengu's throat, forehead, lower abdomen, and all four limbs. Each nail pierced through the wooden bottom, pinning Hantengu's entire body immovably into the box.
Because the nails were quite long, their sharp tips protruded from the bottom of the box.
Horitake then used the hammer to bend these protruding tips, clinching them tightly against the underside of the wood.
There was no need to worry about Hantengu dying. Even with so many nails driven through him, Hantengu's terrifying vitality as a demon would stubbornly keep him holding onto his last breath.
There, perfect. No matter what, Hantengu could not escape from this box now!
It was absolutely foolproof.
Putting away the hammer and nails and closing the lid, Horitake looked at the box and nodded with satisfaction.
Beside him, both Jigoro and Zenitsu's expressions had changed. Zenitsu, having watched Horitake's actions, was pale with fright and backed away repeatedly.
He kept thinking to himself: I haven't offended Big Brother Horitake in the past, have I?
It's okay, it's okay. I definitely haven't offended him. That is such a relief.
Jigoro, on the other hand, was somewhat worried.
Horitake has become like this... does he have some psychological issues? It's my fault, too. When Horitake was little, I only focused on his training and physical condition; I didn't pay attention to his mental health. I have failed in my duty.
Looking at the box, Horitake suddenly frowned slightly, turning to ask Jigoro and Zenitsu:
"Do you guys think this box looks particularly like a funeral urn? Looking at it like this, doesn't it seem a bit off?"
The grandfather and grandson shook their heads like rattle drums.
"Alright. Whether it looks like an urn or not, I've already nailed Hantengu inside. It will have to do for now."
Saying this, Horitake picked up the box.
"From now on, this box will not leave my side. Even when I sleep, I will keep it with me, just in case the Hantengu inside tries to pull any tricks.
"My mission won't be considered complete until I deliver him to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters."
What else could Jigoro and Zenitsu say? They could only nod furiously.
With cold sweat beading on his forehead, Zenitsu hurriedly changed the subject:
"Big Brother, it's really getting late. If we keep this up, the sun will rise. Since all the dangers have been eliminated, let's hurry up and get some sleep!"
Horitake agreed with Zenitsu's suggestion.
"Mm, alright. We really should rest.
"Zenitsu, has my room been cleaned?"
Zenitsu quickly stood up.
"It's been cleaned. Big Brother's room is always cleaned."
"That's good."
And so, holding the box, Horitake stood up, intending to go rest.
The very moment he stood up, the System's voice echoed in his mind:
"Ding! Confirmed live capture of Upper Moon Four, Hantengu. Confirmed Muzan remains unaware of the current situation. Confirmed the safety of Kuwajima Jigoro and Agatsuma Zenitsu. Host has successfully resolved the negative Butterfly Effect. Mission Complete. Distributing Mission Reward.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. System Reward obtained: Officially unlocking the Demon Slayer Mark!
"Friendly Reminder: Host need not worry. The Mark unlocked by the Host is a Perfect Mark. It will not consume the Host's life force, nor will it impose the twenty-five-year lifespan limit."
Hearing these words from the System, Horitake froze on the spot, standing there in a daze, motionless.
In that instant, the System's miraculous power poured into Horitake's body. It began to take effect, stimulating him to unlock his own unique Demon Slayer Mark!
The so-called Mark was a state where a Breathing Style swordsman pushed their body to the absolute limit, trading life force for immense power, which would comprehensively increase the swordsman's combat capabilities.
To unlock the Mark, one must possess sufficient strength as a prerequisite. Furthermore, the body temperature must exceed 39 degrees Celsius, and the heart rate must surpass 200 beats per minute.
Because every person's constitution is different, and the Breathing Styles they use vary, the pattern of the Mark unlocked by each individual is also different.
Generally speaking, the appearance of the Mark is closely related to the Breathing Style used by the swordsman.
For example, in the original story, Tanjiro's Mark appeared on his forehead. Because he used Sun Breathing, the Mark's pattern resembled blazing flames.
Or take Kanroji Mitsuri; her Mark was located on her neck, shaped like pink hearts, which was directly related to her Love Breathing.
So, what kind of Mark would Horitake unlock?
Horitake himself was very expectant.
Standing there, ignoring the strange looks from Jigoro and Zenitsu, Horitake began to carefully sense his own body, accepting the miraculous power gifted by the System.
Simultaneously, his body temperature began to rise, soaring past 39 degrees. His heartbeat accelerated, his pulse frequency rocketing straight past 200.
Zenitsu stared foolishly, unsure of what was happening to Horitake, but Jigoro keenly noticed the abnormality in Horitake's body.
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