Chapter 203: Swap
"WHERE ARE THEY?!"
Muzan’s disbelieving voice rang out.
That’s right.
Marcus, Shinobu, and Kanao had vanished.
All that remained on the ground were the bloodstains from when the old woman and her grandson had been wiped out.
Marcus had fled!!
It was an all-too-familiar scene!!
"AGAIN!!"
After the roar, silence fell. No one dared to speak, not even Kokushibou.
"Let’s head back!"
Before leaving, Muzan shot a furious glare at Douma, who blinked innocently.
Meanwhile, Marcus was gazing at the lights of Asakusa Street, not far from there.
He switched off Divine Speed and looked in astonishment at the two women he was carrying in his arms.
"You two... were you this close to Asakusa?"
Shinobu stared at Marcus’s large hand firmly gripping her by the backside, while Kanao nodded. "Yeah, only about three miles away."
Marcus looked with regret at the wound at the base of Kanao’s thumb.
"If I’d known, I would’ve come running... It would’ve been faster."
Kanao smiled at him calmly. "It’s fine, Marcus-kun. A little wound like this is nothing."
"By the way, that sudden appearance of yours just now..."
Marcus chuckled. "That’s my Blood Demon Art."
"Your...?" Shinobu looked up. "Blood Demon Art?"
"What’s the matter?" Marcus chuckled. "Did you think that just because I absorb other people’s techniques, I couldn’t have one of my own? Or did you think my farewell gift was only meant as a prank?"
"Th-Then, Marcus-kun..." Kanao tried to change the subject as fast as she could; she was embarrassed to recall that moment. "Wh-What exactly is your technique? And what happened with that hand?"
"Swapping."
A flash of understanding crossed Shinobu’s eyes as she remembered.
"You mean... you can swap places at any time with the body parts you leave behind?"
Marcus nodded.
"I can keep them from dissipating, and I can also sense and manipulate what happens around them. When I need to, I swap places with the limb. The only drawback is that, since I just acquired this ability, I have to transform into a demon to pull off the swap."
The more Kanao listened, the brighter her eyes shone.
"That’s so impressive! Does that mean as long as I carry your hand with me, it’ll be like you’re by my side the whole time and could show up at any moment?"
"Of course. Though the sensing range is only about thirty feet and it doesn’t pinpoint the exact location, if you carry it with you and call out to me, I’ll hear it. I swap places, handle the situation, and go back. As long as I’m not focusing my consciousness on it, it’s just an inanimate object."
Hearing this, Shinobu shot him a sidelong glance.
"So yesterday, when you grabbed Kanao’s backside, you did it on purpose?"
Kanao’s face turned red in an instant.
"And when I was changing my clothes, did you watch that too?" Shinobu added.
"What are you talking about?" Marcus wore a look of complete bewilderment. "Yesterday, the moment you caught me, I withdrew my consciousness. Don’t accuse me unfairly."
Shinobu sized him up with narrowed eyes, unconvinced.
"Shinobu-nee, Marcus-kun isn’t that kind of person," Kanao defended him.
"I don’t know about a peeper, but he definitely seizes every chance to cop a feel," Shinobu replied, pointing at Marcus’s hand, which was trying to creep up a little higher from Kanao’s waist.
Marcus pulled his hand back in embarrassment and took a step back. "Cough cough... An accident, purely an accident."
His muscular demonic figure began to shrink, the horns disappeared, and the flower marks faded away. In a few seconds, he returned to his original state.
"Let’s head back to the estate."
Shinobu and Kanao straightened their clothes and followed him.
But as they drew closer to the lights on the outskirts of Asakusa, Shinobu stopped and looked back toward the site of the battle.
"Those two people... did they die?"
"You mean the old woman and her grandson?" Marcus asked, stopping as well.
Shinobu nodded.
"The Upper Rank’s attack must have caught them. They’re most likely dead," he replied indifferently.
Shinobu fell silent, and Kanao lowered her head, grief-stricken. "They were two human lives..."
Marcus arched an eyebrow.
"Even though they nearly got you two killed and were accomplices of the demons?"
Neither of them answered.
Marcus sighed, gave Shinobu a few pats on the shoulder, and stroked Kanao’s head.
"Don’t waste compassion on the enemy. They were willing to give their lives just to hold you back; Douma’s church had thoroughly indoctrinated them. Even if they’d survived, they’d be a threat." He paused. "There are all kinds of demons and humans—you two know that better than I do."
The two of them looked at each other in silence.
They were convinced—or rather, they’d known that truth from the start; they just needed a reason to accept it.
And with Douma being brought up, Kanao grew even more curious. "Marcus-kun... how strong are you right now?"
Marcus thought about it for a moment. "...It’s hard to say. The Yoshiwara business was a special case because of the women. Outside of there, in my normal state, it’s not that outrageous."
"But just now..." Shinobu cut in, "you made Douma’s head explode with a single blow."
Marcus chuckled.
"I didn’t see it coming either. I wasn’t even bracing for it."
At that point, he paused briefly.
"Douma is more of a sorcerer than a warrior. In close-quarters combat, he can’t dodge your sword, let alone my fists after I transform."
"Being that close, he was more curious than cautious and meant to strike up a chat..." He shook his head in disdain. "If he’d kept his distance, he wouldn’t have been so easy to deal with. After all, I need to breathe too, and even though my body repairs the damage to my lungs, the aftereffects are still there."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"What about you two? Are you having any problems? You’re not gonna die, right?"
"Better yet, let me turn you into Vampires right now!"
Kanao: "..."
Shinobu: "..."
__________
Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎
And don’t forget to comment, I wanna know if you liked the Chapter 👀
______
And if PS aren’t your thing but you still want more Chapters...
P-a-t-r-e-o-n → Athome790