Chapter 206: Yet Another Sword
In the dark night, Marcus sat alone atop the roof of the mansion, reflecting on life.
He stroked the two swords laid across his legs with a certain nostalgia.
Sometimes, life is strange and unexpected...
A few hours ago, when he stuck his finger into Kanao’s mouth trying to force out the Fourth Level reward the same way he had with Nezuko... he succeeded and failed at the same time.
[A special contact with the target Kanao Tsuyuri has been detected!]
[The final analysis conditions have been met!]
[Analysis progress: 100%]
[Fourth Level Human reward unlocked: Choose at random from Bright Red Nichirin Sword, Demon Slayer Mark, or Transparent World!]
[Selecting at random...]
[Congratulations, you have obtained the Bright Red Nichirin Sword!]
[It has been detected that the user already wields the Bright Red Nichirin Sword on their own. The reward overlaps, regenerating...]
[The system’s random attempt has already been used. Generating a compensation reward adapted to the dual-sword style...]
[Congratulations, you have obtained a Soul-Nourishing Nichirin Sword.]
"Another one..."
Marcus sighed beneath the moonlight, processing the turn of events.
He had forcibly activated the Bright Red Nichirin Sword in Yoshiwara and figured that, since he already had it unlocked, the system would choose between the Demon Slayer Mark and the Transparent World.
He had even planned to obtain one of them through Kanao, master it over a couple of months while training his Demonic Technique, and then, when Shinobu got out of the hospital, secure the remaining piece.
That way, he would complete the peak of what a human could attain, maximizing his power, and go after Muzan after leaving a limb in Asakusa as insurance.
He had even planned to convince Mitsuri to turn into a vampire in order to obtain the Fourth Level demonic reward and get the chance to devour another demonic technique.
His current Blood Demon Arts were... how to put it? They weren’t the direct-attack type.
That left a bitter taste in his mouth.
So he had even already thought about which ability to devour.
Douma’s.
Ice.
Freezing everything for miles around, creating ice dolls, and destroying the enemy’s respiratory system was a perfect direct attack—something he lacked with his current abilities.
However, he never imagined the system would be so... rigid?
If it was going to be random, fine, but it absolutely had to be from the set of human rewards.
And to make matters worse, he landed on the very Bright Red Nichirin Sword he had already developed and, instead of the Mark or the Transparent World, it granted him a sword.
Even so, as a dual-sword user, having a new sword replace an ordinary weapon wasn’t a bad thing.
Holding two indestructible Nichirin in his hands gave him far more confidence in a fight.
Nevertheless, his plans had gotten complicated—very much so.
He could no longer devour Douma’s ability; Muzan’s and Nakime’s were more crucial. Shinobu and Mitsuri wouldn’t be able to turn into vampires either until he obtained from them the two pieces he was missing from the human rewards.
On top of that, there was the matter of the new sword.
Having obtained it at such a high price, he couldn’t use it as an ordinary weapon. But... where would he get a soul?
He wasn’t going to head back to the mountain to catch Sabito. Giyu would be thrilled and might keep begging him to hand it over, but Marcus wouldn’t be that stupid.
The greatest advantage of this sword wasn’t its indestructibility, but the permanent attribute bonus granted by a female soul: it was like a portable boost.
A man?
Out of the question.
But apart from Makomo, he hadn’t seen a single soul in all of Demon Slayer.
Marcus scratched his head in frustration.
Just when he was ready to enter his training arc to finish off Muzan, a problem cropped up.
"Don’t be so impatient, Marcus-kun~"
A feminine voice reached his ears, and a cool sensation settled on his shoulder.
!!!
Marcus gave a start. "Makomo?!"
The first thing he did was grab that hand, and when he turned around, he saw Makomo floating behind him with a smile.
Her semi-transparent figure was connected to the sword by a thread of blue.
"Jijiji~ long time no see, Marcus-kun~!"
"H-How did you...?" Marcus went from bewilderment to joy. "Did you fully wake up? Can you manifest already?!"
And to his dismay, Makomo shook her head. "Not so fast... It’ll still be a few months."
"Then how did you get out?"
She winked at him mischievously. "I saw you couldn’t sleep, so I came out to chat with you~"
"What?!" Marcus’s eyes went wide. "Didn’t you say this sleep was crucial for your spirit body and that you mustn’t wake up? How can you come out like this? What if it affects you?"
Seeing him upset for her sake, Makomo’s smile deepened.
Feeling valued and cared for filled her heart with immense warmth.
Even if those words came loaded with anger.
"And you’re laughing!" Marcus put on a serious expression. "I’m being serious!"
"Yes, yes~ Marcus-kun is the most serious of them all."
"Then stop laughing and go back to sleep right this instant!"
"But seeing you worry about me makes me so happy~..." Makomo touched her chin with a finger. "Besides, I came out to help you solve a problem; if I go back right now, I’ll have come out for nothing."
"Solve a problem?" Marcus arched an eyebrow. "What problem do I have?"
Makomo pointed at the new sword resting on his legs.
"Isn’t that a problem? I woke up precisely because I sensed that another sword like mine had appeared."
Marcus was taken aback.
...It was true. If anyone knew the inner workings of this sword thoroughly, it was Makomo.
"But..."
"Relax. As soon as I make everything clear to you, I’ll go back to sleep."
Makomo promised solemnly:
"I swear: if I don’t wake up with a complete spirit body, I won’t get up for anything!"
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Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎
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