Jigoro clearly sensed that something was amiss with Horitake's body.
Although Jigoro couldn't physically feel the instantaneous spike in body temperature, he could faintly hear Horitake's heart rate, which had skyrocketed past two hundred beats per minute.
The little old man panicked slightly. He shot up from his seat, thinking Horitake had fallen ill.
"Horitake! What is happening to your body?!"
Horitake stood rooted in place. He closed his eyes and extended a hand, signaling that he was fine while simultaneously asking them to be quiet. He had reached a critical moment.
It's coming!
A special, tyrannical power surged from deep within Horitake's body, permeating outward.
Purple lightning flickered across his form. These arcs of thunder wound around him, flowing like water before finally converging on his chest, where they began to etch themselves into his skin!
Gradually, the purple lightning dissipated, and everything returned to calm.
Horitake's heartbeat and body temperature quickly normalized as well.
The Demon Slayer Mark had been unlocked. Horitake let out a long sigh of relief. He could clearly feel that his strength had jumped up another level. The sensation of being this overpowered was simply too good!
Standing to the side like a fool, Zenitsu asked nervously:
"Big Brother, are you okay?"
Horitake laughed heartily.
"Of course I'm okay. I'm more than okay—my current state is better than ever before!"
Saying this, Horitake tore open the front of his shirt, looking down at the Mark on his chest.
Horitake's Mark was located directly on his chest. It was evenly distributed, perfectly symmetrical and balanced. The Mark was a dazzling violet color, shaped in an extremely profound and intricate thunder pattern.
As Horitake expected, his Mark was indeed a special type of thunder crest. It likely had a great deal to do with his use of Heavenly Thunder Breathing.
Jigoro and Zenitsu, of course, saw the Mark on Horitake's chest. They felt that the lightning ornamentation was incredibly mysterious and divine, seemingly harboring an unfathomable, terrifying power.
Zenitsu blinked, pointing at Horitake's chest, and asked strangely:
"Big Brother, when did you get a tattoo?"
"Tattoo, my ass!" Horitake fumed, delivering a sharp rap to Zenitsu's head. He then turned to Jigoro. "Old man, do you recognize this thing?"
Jigoro looked at the Mark on Horitake's body with a mix of shock and uncertainty.
"This thing... I seem to have heard of it in some of the Demon Slayer Corps' ancient records.
"Could this be... the Mark?"
"As expected, the older you get, the more you know. Correct, this is indeed the Mark!"
With the confirmation, Jigoro looked at his eldest disciple in awe. But amidst the awe, there was inevitably a sense of deep regret and sorrow.
Beside them, Zenitsu hurriedly asked:
"Grandpa, what is the Mark?"
Jigoro answered vaguely:
"I am not entirely clear on the specifics of the Mark either. I have only seen it mentioned in the Corps' records. When a swordsman who has tempered themselves through a thousand hammers and a hundred refinements reaches the pinnacle of strength, they will awaken a miraculous Mark. This Mark further elevates the power of the awakened."
"That amazing?!"
"The exact method of unlocking the Mark is no longer verifiable, and to this day, I haven't found a precise explanation in the records.
"But what is certain is that the first swordsman to unlock the Mark will be the leader of an era. Under his influence and stimulation, the swordsmen around him will also successively unlock their Marks, enhancing their strength."
"That's incredible!"
"However, this powerful strength comes with a price.
"According to the records of the Demon Slayer Corps, any swordsman who unlocks the Mark gains immense power, but... not a single one has lived past the age of twenty-five."
Zenitsu, who had been excited and happy just moments ago, was instantly dumbfounded. It was as if he had been struck by lightning. His face drained of color as he looked at Jigoro in disbelief.
"G-Grandpa... what did you just say?! Anyone who unlocks the Mark... can't live past twenty-five?!"
Jigoro looked at Horitake with a complex expression and nodded painfully.
Zenitsu's mood was like a roller coaster; having plunged from elation straight into hell, he looked at Horitake in panic, his voice trembling uncontrollably:
"B-Big Brother..."
Horitake smiled faintly to reassure them.
"Don't worry.
"Just as the old man said, to obtain powerful strength, one must pay a sufficient price.
"The unlocking of the Mark is essentially an overdraft of life force. Therefore, the records stating that marked swordsmen usually don't live past twenty-five are normal.
"However, old man, the Demon Slayer Corps' records surely also mention that there was one person who unlocked the Mark but successfully lived past eighty, correct?"
Jigoro recalled that specific entry in the records and nodded with sudden realization.
"There was indeed such a swordsman. Not only was he the first to unlock the Mark, but he truly lived a long life. That man was the legendary swordsman, Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"With Tsugikuni Yoriichi as a precedent, who's to say I can't break the twenty-five-year curse? The miracles I've created are no less impressive than Yoriichi's."
Jigoro was still worried.
"That may be true, but so far, there has only been that one person..."
"Rest assured, old man," Horitake comforted him with a smile. "I wouldn't joke about something like this. My Mark is divine and special. Not only does it enhance my strength, but it also won't cause any overdraft or consumption of my life force."
"Is it really okay, Big Brother?"
"It really is okay. I'm not just trying to ease your minds; I am stating a fact."
Horitake offered guarantees and comforts, saying a great deal before finally managing to calm Jigoro and Zenitsu down.
"Alright, alright, stop worrying. Don't you know what kind of person I am, old man? I haven't lived enough yet. If I could only live to twenty-five, I wouldn't do it.
"It's getting very late, and we've been through too much tonight. You two, the old and the young, hurry up and get some rest. I'm going to sleep too."
After a bit more fussing, under Horitake's urging, Jigoro and Zenitsu finally went to their respective rooms to rest, though they were still filled with lingering anxiety.
Horitake returned to the room he had always occupied. The room was exactly as he left it, the layout unchanged and cleaned spotlessly.
Horitake didn't choose to sleep immediately. Instead, he stood before the mirror, looking at the Mark on his chest, sinking into a spell of worry.
He wasn't worried about himself. A product of the System was bound to be high quality; if it said the Mark wouldn't consume his lifespan, it definitely wouldn't.
What he was worried about was everyone else.
Just as Jigoro had said, once one person unlocks the Mark, the other swordsmen around him will begin to unlock theirs in succession.
Counting himself, nine out of ten Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps would likely unlock their Marks.
That meant the other nine... would not live past twenty-five.
How the hell can I let that happen?!
Those are my friends! And one of them is my woman!
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