Chapter 208: Amplified Emotions
The morning light lit up the front courtyard of the Asakusa mansion.
Marcus, bare-chested, stood in the center of the garden with his fists clenched.
A lattice of brightly glowing blue lines ignited from his neck, spreading like water across the contours of his muscles toward his shoulders, arms, chest, and abdomen, before disappearing into the waistband of his pants.
"I’m starting to get the hang of it..."
With a sigh, he switched off the demonization.
His horns retracted, the flower-shaped marks faded, and his figure of over seven feet returned to its usual scale.
Over the past two months, he had focused on a single thing: mastering the demonization and refining his Blood Demon Arts.
In theory, any demon could transform instinctively. However, the process brought with it an unavoidable side effect: it amplified negative emotions, regardless of whether you belonged to the original bloodline or were a Vampire.
Impulsiveness, irritability, and bloodlust were the rule.
That time he blew Douma’s head apart without exchanging a word was a direct consequence of that loss of control. Even Nezuko, with the gentlest nature, underwent a drastic alteration when she transformed.
For Muzan’s subordinates, accustomed to living in that state, the phenomenon went unnoticed because those emotions were already part of their everyday psyche.
But in Marcus’s case, the story was different.
His style wasn’t based on blind brutality, but on agility and precision. Eliminating that emotional interference was crucial, which was why he devoted so much time to honing his mental control.
Marcus shook out his arms and demonized again.
The imposing seven-foot, horned figure unfurled in a second and a half.
Noticing his serene mind, a smile formed on his face.
"I’ve almost got it."
He returned to his human form.
Tamayo came out of the manor and draped a garment over his shoulders.
"Are you going to swing by Yoshiwara later? They’ve finished the main street, and the trial opening starts tonight."
Marcus shook his head.
"I’ll go in the afternoon. Ume and Hakuji are over there overseeing everything, so it’s covered. First I want to stop by the hospital to discharge Shinobu and Kanao. They’ve been protesting for days, and if I don’t come get them today, they’ll be genuinely upset. I’ll take them to see the opening while I’m at it."
Tamayo smiled softly as she fastened his buttons.
"Believe it or not, Ume-chan is very active now, far more hardworking than when she first arrived. She’s drafted several proposals for the management plan, and every day she drags Pearl-chan along to help her with the reviews."
Marcus chuckled. "Better she keeps busy with that than throwing tantrums at me around the house."
"And the shop purchases in Asakusa?" Tamayo inquired. "Pearl-chan closed the deal on three more properties and asked if you wanted to review them."
"Let her handle it, I trust her judgment."
No sooner had he finished dressing than a commotion boomed from the courtyard entrance.
"Senpai! Senpai!"
Tanjiro burst in at a quick pace, closely followed by Zenitsu and Inosuke.
The moment he set foot in the garden, Zenitsu began scanning around while muttering, "Where are the girls...?"
Inosuke, wasting no time, headed straight for the kitchen, moving through the place as if it were his own home.
And the truth is, it was: these three had practically turned Asakusa into their base of operations.
They only went out to carry out missions and came flying back the moment they finished.
To tell the truth, because of Marcus’s shadow, most of the Demon Slayer Corps didn’t look kindly on them. So rather than putting up with sour looks at headquarters, they preferred to settle in with him, where they didn’t have it bad at all.
"Senpai! Where’s Nezuko? I bought her a toy." The siscon was already looking for her the instant he set foot in the courtyard.
But Marcus cut him off.
"You’re just in time. How’s the Hinokami Kagura coming along?"
Tanjiro was thrown for a second before puffing out his chest.
"I can use the forms separately, but I have trouble linking them together."
"Show me what you’ve got."
"...Right now?"
"Of course!"
Tanjiro took a breath, drew his sword, and set the opening stance.
First movement: Dance.
Second: Clear Blue Sky.
Third: Raging Sun.
Fourth: Burning Bones, Summer Sun.
Fifth: Setting Sun Transformation.
Sixth: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance.
Seventh: Beneficent Radiance.
When he reached the eighth, his rhythm hitched. He gritted his teeth to force his way through, but his breathing fell out of sync and the fire went out all at once.
Marcus said nothing.
Tanjiro inhaled deeply and started over from scratch.
Dance. Clear Blue Sky. Raging Sun. Burning Bones, Summer Sun. Setting Sun Transformation. Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance. Beneficent Radiance. Fake Rainbow. Fire Wheel. Fake Rainbow. Setting Sun.
At the eleventh form, he came to a dead stop again.
He paused to catch his breath and looked at Marcus with a certain heaviness in his voice.
"Senpai... am I going too slow?"
Marcus shook his head.
"Not at all. A month and a half to master eleven forms is a hell of a number."
"Your focus right now isn’t the individual strikes, but the breathing, the flow. Only when you manage to thread each movement into a single chain will you master the true Hinokami Kagura."
Tanjiro nodded thoughtfully and then asked out of curiosity:
"Senpai, how do you know all this?"
"What’s it to you? I know what I’m doing, end of story—I don’t have to explain myself to you."
"Keep at it. When you’ve got the sequence of all twelve without a break, come find me."
Tanjiro pouted. "Understood!"
Marcus raised his eyes to the sky.
"Good, you three showed up right on time. Stay and watch the house; Tamayo and I are heading out to pick some people up."
"Who are you bringing?"
"Shinobu and Kanao. They’re getting out of the hospital today."
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