Chapter 31: Post-Battle Review and the Road to the Demon Slayers
The chicken soup was fragrant, its savory steam coiling into the air.
Kobe Hikaru held the simple wooden bowl, drinking the broth sip by sip. Although his Oni Samurai body didn't require sustenance, it hadn't robbed him of his ability to eat, nor did it prevent him from enjoying the simple pleasure of a good meal.
After all, he was still human at his core—a person transmigrated from a modern era where he never had to worry about his next meal. Now, in this war-torn land, he was an undead who didn't need to struggle just to feel full. To be able to pursue flavor for flavor's sake was, in its own way, a luxury.
"Delicious," he murmured, a sincere note of appreciation in his voice.
Kikyo sat across from him, also holding a bowl. She drank with a quiet demureness, taking small, delicate sips. Her movements were so graceful they seemed almost ritualistic. She had changed out of her battle-worn white robes and red hakama, now dressed in a clean and tidy set that showed no sign of the previous night's chaos. Her long, black hair had been re-combed, tied back with a simple ribbon that revealed the fair, elegant line of her nape.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow across her profile, etching her features in gentle light and shadow.
Hikaru glanced at her for a moment before his gaze drifted away, his mind already elsewhere.
The battle last night had left a deep impression on him, and not just because of the danger.
It was because of that Kamaitachi.
In the months since his rebirth as a demon, he had pieced together a rudimentary understanding of their power levels, but it was all theoretical—deductions and speculations based on his own changes. It was logic on paper.
But that high-level demon, a creature that had reached the stage of Qualitative Transformation, had shown him the true, terrifying meaning of the term.
Hikaru set his bowl down, his eyes unfocused as he silently replayed the fight in his mind.
Physical Transformation, as he had come to understand it, involved altering the body's structure. Growing horns, sprouting wings, sharpening claws, or changing one's eyes—these were all structural modifications. His own Six Transformations followed this principle: Sharp Body, Keen Eyes, Archer's Arm, Spear Waist, Shield Bone, and Blood Transformation. Each one induced a mutation in a specific part of his body, granting him abilities that defied common sense.
But in the end, it was still just a modification of the original framework. It was like taking a car and changing the tires, upgrading the engine, or installing a turbocharger. The car was still a car; its performance had merely improved.
Qualitative Transformation, however, was fundamentally different.
Hikaru recalled the Kamaitachi's performance. It could alter its body size at will, shrinking from a thirty-foot monster to a five-foot warrior, then expanding back to twenty feet in an instant. Its volume changed, but its mass remained constant.
What did that mean?
It meant the demon could compress the same amount of power into a smaller form, gaining terrifying speed and attacks sharp enough to pierce anything. Conversely, it could disperse that same power into a larger volume, gaining a wider defensive range and immense resistance to physical blows.
This wasn't a change in structure; it was a change in fundamental attributes. It was the manipulation of reality itself.
Large and small. Increase and decrease.
A sudden, deeper realization struck Hikaru.
Physical Transformation changes how you use your power.
Qualitative Transformation changes how much power there is to use.
One was a change in method; the other was a change in essence.
No wonder the gap was so immense. He had perfected his Six Transformations, and his Yao Qi was so pure that even the Kamaitachi had been surprised. Yet he had still been utterly suppressed, beaten back at every turn. It was because his base 'attributes'—strength, speed, defense—were an entire tier below those of a demon that had undergone Qualitative Transformation.
As if struck by a flash of inspiration, Hikaru's heart stirred. He realized something else.
He realized that the quality of the Kamaitachi's Yao Qi was actually inferior to his own.
And Yao Qi, beyond its relation to transformations, was something that required years of accumulation and refinement. In other words, the Kamaitachi was likely not very old. By the standards of a demon's lifespan, it had probably been born quite recently.
For a newly born demon to have already completed more than the Six Transformations was a proof of its incredible talent, but Hikaru felt it was more connected to its very essence.
The essence of a Kamaitachi was not a biological creature. It was the formless 'wind.'
It was just like that Fog Demon he had fought before. Beings with an illusory or elemental essence were harder to demonize than living creatures, but once they succeeded, they seemed to transform far more easily. By extension, it was likely easier for them to step into the world of Qualitative Transformation after completing their Physical Transformations.
Taking it a step further, their Qualitative Transformation was probably linked to their essence of 'wind.'After all, beyond basic physical attributes like mass, concepts like Yin and Yang, the Four Symbols, and the Five Elements were also'attributes.'This was the difference between a physical change and an elemental one. But whether physical or elemental, they were all attributes, and changing them was a'qualitative' change.
Of course, this wasn't simply about manipulating an element. It was about becoming the element—just as the Kamaitachi was, in essence, 'wind' that had gradually condensed into a physical body.
For an ordinary demon to walk that path, it would have to do the opposite: shed its physical form and become 'wind.'
Hikaru finally understood.
"What are you thinking about?"
Kikyo's voice, cool and clear, cut through his thoughts. Hikaru looked up to see the priestess watching him, a flicker of curiosity in her calm eyes.
"Thinking about how to become stronger," Hikaru answered truthfully. "Last night's Kamaitachi made me realize I'm still far from strong enough. Even with external help, I couldn't truly contend with it head-on."
As a demon, and even more so as a being trying to survive a chaotic world, only sufficient strength could guarantee stability. Only then could he pursue the life he wanted. It was a simple truth that needed no explanation, a goal that required no elaborate justification.
Kikyo nodded in understanding. "That was indeed a very powerful demon." She set down her own bowl, her gaze drifting toward the sunlight outside the window. "To be able to change its body size at will and manipulate the essence of wind... a demon of that level can no longer be dealt with by ordinary means."
She turned her head slightly, her dark, bright eyes meeting his. "However, with your growth rate, you should be able to surpass it soon," she said, her tone remarkably serious.
Hikaru paused.
"You are not an ordinary demon," she continued. "Although I don't know the details, I can feel that your way of growing is not ordinary."
Of course it wasn't. While Kikyo wasn't a demon and couldn't have possibly categorized the so-called 'Four Transformations and Six Transformations,' her spiritual power was immense. Her perception was sharp enough to sense the Oni Samurai before her growing stronger by the day. Hikaru wasn't surprised she had noticed.
"It is indeed not ordinary," he admitted. "But as for the specifics, it's not convenient for me to say right now."
Kikyo didn't press him. She simply nodded and stood up. "I understand. Everyone has their own secrets."
She walked to the window, turning her back to him. Sunlight spilled over her shoulders, dyeing her white robes a faint gold.
"But no matter what your method is, there is one thing my intuition won't be wrong about."
"What's that?"
"Your way of becoming stronger is different from other demons," Kikyo said, turning to face him again. "It is neither chaotic nor bloodthirsty."
Hikaru looked at her, and a slow smile touched his lips. "You're right."
He stood and walked to her side. The two of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder before the window, looking out at the village below. In the courtyard, Kaede was chasing a chicken, her face flushed and beaded with sweat from the effort.
"Big Brother! Sister! What are you two doing!" the little girl's voice piped up from outside. "Standing so close! Are you whispering secrets!"
Hikaru and Kikyo both fell silent.
"We are discussing serious business," Kikyo said, her voice even.
"What kind of serious business requires standing so close!" Kaede retorted, planting her hands on her hips with a look that said, 'I see right through you.' "Adults just love making excuses!"
"..."
Hikaru felt that this little girl was truly one of a kind. He glanced at Kikyo out of the corner of his eye. The tips of the priestess's ears had turned a faint shade of red, but she maintained a perfectly calm expression.
"Kaede," she said.
"What is it, Sister?"
"Go catch the chicken in the courtyard. We'll have an extra dish for lunch."
"Eh—? But I still want to play with Big Brother—"
"Now."
"...Fine." Kaede pouted and scampered off.
Hikaru watched her go, unable to hold back a low chuckle. "This girl is really interesting."
"She's always been like this," Kikyo said, a hint of fond helplessness in her tone. "She's liked to talk nonsense since she was little." She paused. "However... she's not entirely wrong, either."
Hikaru was stunned for a moment, but Kikyo didn't give him a chance to ask what she meant. Instead, she turned and walked back into the house.
"Clean up a bit," she said over her shoulder. "We are setting out."
"To where?"
"The Demon Slayer Village." Kikyo stopped and looked back at him. "That elder entrusted the Shikon Jewel to me. Now that the Magatsuhi within it has been suppressed, it is time for me to personally inform his clansmen." She added softly, "And... his family is still waiting for him to return."
Hikaru fell silent, recalling the old man's final words.
"I understand," he nodded. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning," Kikyo replied. "Rest for today and recover your spiritual power."
"Alright."
Hikaru watched her retreating figure disappear into the house, but his mind was already racing. Kikyo hadn't even asked if he wanted to come along, because she knew he would. Despite having fought side-by-side only once, she already trusted him completely. In some ways, she was still so inexperienced in the ways of the world.
But he couldn't have refused to follow her to the Demon Slayer Village anyway. Setting aside his personal feelings, the chance to further increase the Shikon Jewel's favorability was reason enough.
Not to mention...
The Demon Slayer tribe was home to other important characters from the original story. Although the ones who would be active fifty years from now were likely not yet born, their weapon...
The Hiraikotsu.
It was a giant boomerang used by the Demon Slayers, crafted from the bones of powerful demons and possessing astonishing power.
If he could max out the favorability of a weapon like that... he should be able to obtain a sufficiently powerful talent, right?
He wondered, just for a moment, if it might even be enough to push him to the level of 'Qualitative Transformation.'
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