As Su Yan's words faded, it was as if a flock of Kasugai Crows had flown over the training ground, leaving a trail of ellipses in the air.
Sabito's smile froze. He glanced at Su Yan in front of him, then at Makomo, who was sitting on a boulder nearby watching the spectacle. For a moment, he doubted his own ears. Otherwise, how could he have heard such an absurd answer?
"..."
At this moment, Makomo, sitting quietly on the boulder, silently raised her hand and said rather weakly, "Didn't this lord just say he came for me?"
"..."
Sabito looked at Su Yan again. He found the guy actually nodding at him, confirming that Makomo was telling the truth.
Sabito withdrew into a depressed sulk.
Makomo looked at Sabito with concern and asked, "Sabito, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Leave me be. Just let me stay here by myself for a bit." Sabito waved his hand, turned around, and squatted alone behind the boulder, drawing circles in the dirt with a small wooden stick.
"My lord, could you take Sabito as one of those Nen Beasts too?" Seeing her comrade in such a depressed state, Makomo couldn't bear it and asked Su Yan.
Su Yan asked curiously, "Are you two a couple?"
"No, no, no, we're just comrades." Makomo waved her hands frantically, terrified of a misunderstanding, and hurriedly explained. "It's just that I don't understand. If you're choosing a Shikigami, shouldn't Sabito be the most suitable choice since he's the strongest among us? Besides, when it comes to combat, I don't have the same fierce passion for fighting as Sabito does. The only reason I learned a Breathing Style and participated in the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection was mostly because I didn't want to disappoint Master Urokodaki. So, I'm actually very curious. Why would you choose someone like me to be your Shikigami, my lord? Did we know each other before?"
Makomo tilted her head as she looked at Su Yan.
Meanwhile, behind the boulder, Sabito quietly pricked up his ears, wanting to hear Su Yan's answer. He didn't refute Makomo's claim. Because she was right; their relationship was actually quite ordinary. It was purely because Makomo's strength was second only to his own among the Water Breathing disciples. She had caught his eye, so he interacted with her more often, making it seem like they were closer than the others. In reality, Makomo got along quite well with all the other Water Breathing disciples.
Su Yan stroked his chin. He could naturally tell that Makomo was telling the truth, so without much hesitation, he stated his reason directly. "Because my ability only allows me to subdue female souls as Nen Beasts."
Snap!
Su Yan and Makomo looked toward the source of the sound. They saw that the small wooden stick Sabito was using to draw circles had been snapped in two by a sudden surge of force. It was obvious that his mood was anything but pleasant right now.
"Boring!" Sabito tossed aside the broken stick. His figure began to turn ethereal, preparing to vanish and leave.
"Wait! Sabito!" However, Su Yan called out directly, stopping the departing boy. "Compared to becoming a Shikigami, shouldn't you have other things you want to do more?"
"What do you mean?" Sabito turned his head, looking at Su Yan in confusion.
"Before passing on—I think this island nation calls it 'becoming a Buddha'? Anyway, before you all disappear, don't you want to speak with your family and comrades to say your goodbyes?" Su Yan explained calmly. "For example, your teacher, Sakonji Urokodaki? Or perhaps your former comrade, the current Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu Tomioka?"
"You... you can do that?" Sabito stared at Su Yan in shock and doubt, a hint of temptation showing on his face.
Naturally, he had many things he wanted to say to Master Urokodaki and Giyu Tomioka. But over the years, no one except the Su Yan standing before him had ever been able to see them. Not even Master Urokodaki, who lived in seclusion right here on Mt. Sagiri and was closest to them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let the Hand Demon stay on Mt. Fujikasane for so many years, continuously murdering Master Urokodaki's disciples.
"I can!" Su Yan said gently. "It's actually not that difficult for me."
It might be hard for others, but for Su Yan, he only needed to expend a portion of Conjuration Nen. Because the power of Conjuration was to turn formless aura into a physical form.
Take Kastro from Hunter x Hunter as an example. Kastro's signature move was using Conjuration to create a clone, then using Manipulation to control the clone and fight alongside his main body. This conjured clone was visible to ordinary people. In fact, when Wing later reviewed the match between Kastro and Hisoka for Gon and the others, he even used video footage recorded by a camera.
"Help me!" Sabito said with unwavering resolve.
It wasn't just Sabito. Even Makomo beside him, along with eleven other figures wearing fox masks who had silently appeared behind her at some point, stared intently at Su Yan.
"Makomo, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and volunteer to be this lord's Nen Beast!" Sabito glanced at Makomo and decisively sold her out. He even changed how he addressed Su Yan, switching from 'this guy' to 'this lord'.
"Eh?" Makomo blinked, looking at Su Yan somewhat blankly. "Oh, right. My lord, I am willing to be your Nen Beast."
"No rush. Read the contents on this carefully first and see if you have any objections. We'll talk after I help them," Su Yan said without refusing, as this was his goal all along. He decisively conjured a parchment and handed it to Makomo.
Yes, the physical manifestation of the Equivalent Exchange ability was also a piece of parchment. It was just that activating the ability wasn't as complicated as forming a contract. It only required the other party to read the terms on the parchment, feel satisfied with Su Yan's conditions, and say "I agree." Once the ability activated, Su Yan only needed to fulfill their request, and the Equivalent Exchange ability would take the agreed-upon payment. The prerequisite was that both parties had to trade voluntarily and could not be in an unconscious or manipulated state.
Su Yan's conditions in exchange for ownership of Makomo were twofold. First, to provide Sabito and the others with enough Nen to materialize for a period of time so they could say goodbye to their loved ones. Second, to go to Mt. Fujikasane and eliminate the Hand Demon that had killed them.
Truthfully, even if they hadn't asked, Su Yan would have fulfilled these wishes anyway. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped Sabito from leaving and told them all this. After all, aren't regrets meant to be resolved?
Immediately, Su Yan began gathering clusters of aura imbued with Conjuration properties in the palm of his hand.
At that moment, Makomo pointed to one of the clauses on the parchment and asked softly, "Could we modify the details of this condition?"
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