Chapter 22: Bloodthirsty Immortality
The battle was far from over. A seemingly endless tide of demons surged into the ravaged courtyard, their howls echoing in the night.
Kobe Hikaru's demon blade, Muramasa, was now stained a deep, wet crimson from the slaughter. The complex purple patterns etched into the steel pulsed with a frantic, eager light, resembling living blood vessels gorging themselves.
[The Demon Blade Muramasa's mood is 'Ecstatic.' It indicates: It hasn't been this full in a long, long time.]
The blade's appetite was growing more voracious with every kill. Hikaru had no time to dwell on it, however, as two more powerful yokai broke from the horde and rushed toward him.
The first was a monstrous, four-armed ape. Each of its limbs was three times thicker than a man's torso, corded with bulging veins and knotted muscle that spoke of terrifying physical power. This was another demon that had poured all of its evolution into a Strength Transformation—a straightforward but brutally effective path. Worse, each of its four arms likely represented a separate transformation, placing it well above the fifth stage.
Its companion was a far stranger threat: a humanoid silhouette formed from a swirling mass of black mist. It possessed no discernible facial features, only a vague outline that periodically solidified before dissolving back into an ethereal haze. This wasn't a creature that could turn into mist; it was the mist itself, having somehow gained sentience and become a yokai. A Mirage Demon.
Hikaru knew this was an exceptionally troublesome opponent. In this era, anything could theoretically become a demon, but the more inanimate or formless the 'object,'the greater the difficulty. For something as intangible as mist to awaken, it had to first pass through the stages of perception, movement, cohesion, and dispersion. Only then could it gain full control of its form and truly be born as a yokai. Each of those stages counted as a transformation, meaning this Mirage Demon was, at minimum, a high-level threat approaching the sixth stage of evolution.'One solid, one ethereal,'Hikaru thought, his grip tightening on his sword.'What a disgusting combination.'
As the thought crossed his mind, the four-armed ape attacked. It lunged forward, all four of its massive fists slamming down in a simultaneous, ground-shattering barrage.
Hikaru had no intention of meeting that force head-on. He vanished in a flicker of movement, his Ghost Step carrying him clear of the impact zone. But just as his feet found purchase, the mass of mist had already drifted silently behind him.
A shadowy black hand solidified from the haze, striking for the center of his back.
"Bang!"
The blow sent Hikaru flying. He crashed through two of the shrine's heavy support pillars, the sound of splintering wood lost in the din of battle. The troublesome nature of a Mirage Demon was immediately apparent: it became solid only in the instant it attacked, and returned to an untouchable, ethereal state when targeted. Unless one could seize that fleeting moment of solidity, it was impossible to harm.
"Cough..." Hikaru pushed himself out from the rubble, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. That palm strike had been heavy.
But as he wiped the blood away, his eyes lit up with predatory focus. He had seen it. Peering through the swirling blood mist that now hung over the battlefield, he had deciphered the Mirage Demon's pattern. Before every attack, its "core"—a fist-sized concentration of energy at its chest—would solidify first. The window of vulnerability was minuscule, lasting for perhaps half a breath.
'Half a breath,'he calculated.'That's enough.'
Gripping Muramasa anew, Hikaru charged not at the ape, but straight toward the mass of mist.
The four-armed demon intercepted him, its four fists once again descending like granite hammers. This time, Hikaru didn't dodge. He planted his feet and raised his blade to parry.
"Clang—!"
A tremendous, bone-jarring force slammed into him, and his arms trembled from the shock. But he held his ground, locked in a contest of strength. Just as he'd anticipated, the mist drifted out from behind the ape's broad back, that same shadowy hand reaching for his spine.
Hikaru didn't turn. With a subtle, calculated pivot of his torso, he shifted his body just enough to open a clear line of fire past his own frame.
Twang!
A Sacred Arrow, glowing with pure white light, whistled through the air. The Mirage Demon sensed the danger and tried to dissolve, but the arrow was too fast. It had only just solidified its core in preparation for its own attack when the arrow plunged directly into it.
Spiritual power erupted in a blinding flash. The mist, its anchor destroyed, dissipated into nothingness.
In that same instant, Hikaru pressed his advantage. As the four-armed ape reeled in shock at its ally's sudden demise, his blade slashed upward, severing one of its massive arms at the shoulder.
The ape shrieked in pain and fury, stumbling back. But with only three arms, it was no longer an overwhelming threat.
Hikaru gave it no time to recover. He closed the distance in a heartbeat. Three more blurring strikes, and its remaining limbs were severed. A final, clean slash took its head.
[Demon Blade Muramasa: Affinity +4]
[Current Affinity: 93]
[It conveyed a message to you: 'Almost there… almost full.']
Hikaru glanced at the system panel, a flicker of anticipation in his gaze. Ninety-three. Only seven more points until it was maxed out. He scanned the battlefield; eight lesser demons remained.
'That will be enough.'
"Continue," he murmured, and charged toward the next target.
The ensuing battle became a one-sided slaughter. The tacit understanding between Hikaru and Kikyo had been honed to a razor's edge, and now their coordination was seamless. He would engage, create openings, and cut down any yokai that came close, while her Sacred Arrows picked off threats from a distance, covering his blind spots with unerring accuracy.
With each kill, the affinity of the Muramasa in his hand climbed steadily higher.
94.
96.
98.
99…
"The last one."
Hikaru stood before a shivering, one-horned snake demon. It was only a Five-Transformation yokai, and it was now scared so witless that it couldn't even flee, its body frozen in terror.
He raised his blade. One clean strike. The serpent's head rolled across the blood-soaked ground.
[Demon Blade Muramasa: Affinity +1]
[Current Affinity: 100 (Complete)]
[Congratulations, you have unlocked all bonds for 'Demon Blade Muramasa.']
[Unlocked Special Ability (3): Bloodthirsty Immortality]
[Effect: As long as the blade is stained with blood, your wounds will continuously recover. The more blood, the faster the recovery.]
[Muramasa has conveyed its final bond message to you: "I am very satisfied. It is my honor to be wielded by you. Now, let my abilities merge with your body." (After the fusion, basic bonuses and dialogue functions are retained, but there are no more special talents.)]
Hikaru had been expecting this. He looked down at the Muramasa in his hand as the black katana began to glow. A brilliant purple light overflowed from the blade, climbing up his arm like liquid energy and seeping into his skin.
There was no pain. Instead, a strange sense of comfort washed over him. It felt like… coming home.
[The abilities of the Demon Blade Muramasa are merging with the host's body…]
["Bloodthirsty Immortality" has been bound.]
["Resonance with Blood" has been bound.]
["Bloodthirsty Madness" has been bound.]
The blood in his veins, which had been still and stagnant since his death, began to move again, flowing in time with a newly resurrected heartbeat. For an Oni Samurai like him, the path of transformation was a process of gradually restoring vitality to his dead flesh, step by step.
From this moment on, even without holding the blade, Hikaru could unleash the power of blood. He saw the prompts on the panel, but he could also feel the change deep within himself. He had completed the sixth and final stage of Physical Transformation: Blood Transformation.
He had finally forged the first major stage of his evolution as a yokai, reaching the pinnacle of what his physical body could become. The abilities he had cultivated in Muramasa were now permanently his. It was a monumental gain.
He opened his other hand, palm up. An invisible, crimson mist coalesced above his skin, swirling with latent power.
"...Not bad."
He clenched his fist, crushing the blood mist, then let it dissipate.
Light footsteps approached from behind him. Kikyo walked over, her face a little pale from the significant expenditure of her spiritual power. Her sharp gaze fell on Hikaru's hand, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"You… have become stronger?"
"Mm," Hikaru answered, his voice a low rumble. "I have."
Kikyo was silent for a moment, her expression unreadable. She didn't press for details. Instead, she turned her attention to the Shikon Jewel, which still floated in the air at the center of the shrine, pulsing with a corrupt, pitch-black light. Magatsuhi's evil influence was still seething within it.
"It's not over yet," she said, her voice quiet but firm. She then added, her eyes scanning the darkness beyond the shrine, "Tonight is still long."
Hikaru gripped the Demon Blade Muramasa once more. Although its unique abilities had merged with his body, its inherent sharpness and the perfect, fluid control granted by maximum affinity still made it an indispensable part of his arsenal.
He followed her gaze into the oppressive night.
"I know."
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