Chapter 219: The Family Reunited
Black stalk and violet tip; they really did match her perfectly.
And the moment she focused her attention on those antennae, a strange surge of pheromones flooded her mind at once.
She found it hard to describe such a sensation, but within a one-mile radius, all kinds of smells became noticeably clear in that very instant.
By then, Ivy had already helped her unfasten the straps around her body.
Shinobu climbed down from the table to meticulously examine her condition.
She gave a few hops and, guided by a hunch, touched Marcus’s arm.
"After the demonic transformation, I grew eight inches..." she murmured under her breath. "And not only that—thanks to these antennae... my sense of smell, touch, hearing, and body coordination have all increased dramatically."
Shinobu couldn’t help getting excited. "So this is what Demonization is like!?"
Antennae? A boost in abilities?
Marcus curiously played with Shinobu’s antennae.
They were warm, soft, and quite springy.
Shinobu shuddered from head to toe, her face flushing red all at once, and she hastily took a step back while covering her forehead.
"Wh-what are you doing!?"
For some reason, that simple touch had made her feel more sensitive than when Marcus had touched her last night.
"Heh, sorry, I was just curious."
With that, two pink horns curving backward sprouted from Marcus’s forehead, and he flicked them with his finger; they were hard as rocks.
"It just struck me as strange that your antennae grant functional enhancements, while these horns are just ornaments. Aside from being hard, they’re useless."
Hearing this, Shinobu looked intrigued.
"The enhancements after the transformation vary from person to person."
Tamayo’s voice cut in from the side. First she studied Shinobu. "How do you feel your strength has improved?"
Shinobu moved her limbs a little.
"My strength went up by more than half, and my explosiveness even more."
Tamayo nodded.
"That explains it. You’ve spent years fighting on speed, and your body adapted to that growth. That’s why your enhancement is focused on perception, agility, and explosive power."
Then she looked at Marcus. "He’s different. When he turned into a demon, his strength and his body’s durability increased by nearly a hundred percent."
"And almost everything else was reinforced in his sense of smell."
"They’re the instinctive responses of each body."
The two of them nodded thoughtfully.
At that point, Kanao couldn’t hold back any longer.
"Shinobu-nee, is she completely healed now?"
Seeing Shinobu nod, Kanao burst into tears of joy while staring fixedly at Marcus’s Blade.
Marcus understood what she wanted to ask and gave her a pat on the head.
"Rest easy. Kanae is back. From today on, this sword..."
He raised the blade to look at it for a moment, then gazed at Shinobu.
"Will be called Butterfly."
"Then..."
Kanao timidly held out her hand.
Marcus smiled and placed the hilt in her palm.
"She can’t talk yet. After she adapts for a few days, you’ll be able to chat with her."
The instant the Butterfly Blade made contact with Kanao’s hand, it gave off a soft vibration.
This made Kanao’s tears flow even more uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Shinobu stepped closer, took Kanao’s hand that was holding the hilt, and drew her into an embrace.
"D-don’t cry. The family’s reunited... we should be smiling."
"Mm..."
Marcus watched the touching scene while rubbing his chin and turning his gaze toward Tamayo.
Tamayo understood at once and, smiling, took two syringes out of the incubator.
One crimson in color and the other clear with bluish glints.
Ever since Shinobu had accepted the transformation, Tamayo already had Kanao’s dose ready.
"Kanao, Shinobu has transformed—are you going to as well...?"
Before Marcus could finish the sentence, Kanao lifted her head with a resolute look.
"I accept."
She looked at Shinobu, then gazed at Marcus.
"I don’t want to keep being a bystander that her sister always protects!"
Feeling Kanao’s slight trembling in her arms and sensing the vibration of the Blade, Shinobu sighed.
"Let it be as Kanao wishes."
Marcus’s smile deepened.
"Good. Then you’ll do it together."
...
Five minutes later, Kanao sat up from the table.
Her transformation turned out to be even smoother than Shinobu’s.
At the very instant the change began, she was injected with the resignation letter.
Unlike Shinobu, Kanao didn’t possess such advanced body control, so she would need time to grow familiar with her new state.
However, just before the bond with Muzan was severed, her demonic trait revealed itself for a moment.
Broadly speaking, it was similar to Shinobu’s: her body grew four inches uniformly.
Still, the most striking thing was her eyes.
Her pupils didn’t take on the usual beastly look, but a pattern resembling the compound eyes of an insect.
As expected, the greatest enhancement Kanao received, aside from her physical stats, was her visual ability.
In her own words, everything around her became slow and crisp.
Marcus knew this phenomenon well.
This was something called... Bullet Time.
It was a permanent application of his ultimate technique, Equinoctial Vermilion Eye, but without any side effects.
Next, both of them were injected with the solar reagent.
Taking advantage of the daylight, they walked hand in hand toward the afternoon sun before everyone’s eyes.
Hearing the heart-wrenching screams echoing up from the ground floor, Marcus closed his eyes helplessly.
He was the only one who didn’t go down to witness the experiment.
Not out of any lack of desire to protect them, but because his heart ached too much to watch.
Even though surviving the process meant attaining immortality and becoming members of the Vampiric bloodline, the pain was excruciating.
Being consumed by sunlight was like having your skin flayed off layer by layer while alcohol was poured over the wound.
Marcus didn’t want to experience such suffering again, much less watch them endure that torture.
If only he possessed the ability to transform others directly... no one would have to go through such punishment.
In that instant, his desire to devour Muzan and seize his abilities reached its peak.
He lowered his gaze, stroking the blade of the Butterfly Blade as he watched the assimilation percentage climb in the system.
Almost there!
This very night, he’d reach assimilation level 3 and obtain a new Form.
His eyes blazed intensely.
First thing tomorrow, he’d go to the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters to speak with Kagaya. Come what may, this time he’d bring both the money and Mitsuri!
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