[Blood Resonance].
The effect of this ability was even more ridiculous than Shinji had imagined.
And it didn't disappoint him in the slightest.
The moment he swung his first blade, the first drop of blood splashed into the air, and suddenly, countless perspectives flooded his vision.
Those perspectives came from the blood droplets.
Every single drop became his eye.
Every direction, three hundred and sixty degrees, not a single blind spot.
Behind him to the left, a snake-bodied yokai was winding up to lunge. Above him to the right, a bird-headed monster was diving with claws outstretched. Directly ahead, three blue-skinned goblins were flanking him, clubs raised.
He saw it all, crystal clear.
This thing…
Shinji didn't waste words. His body reacted before his thoughts could catch up.
He took one step to the left and swept the blade backward.
Thud.
The blade tip sliced precisely into the snake-yokai's vital spot, seven inches from its head. Its body was still hurtling forward, but its head was already tumbling away on the ground.
No need to turn around.
The blood spraying through the air told him the bird-headed monster was already two feet above his head.
Shinji leaned forward and thrust the blade tip straight up.
In a normal fight, this move would be suicide back to the enemy, blade pointed skyward, completely abandoning defense.
But he could see.
The blade tip pierced through the bird-yokai's lower jaw and burst out through the top of its head.
The monster's claws scraped past his back, only tearing a few strips from his battered armor.
A hair's breadth.
Shinji flicked the blade, sending the bird-yokai's corpse flying toward the three goblins straight ahead. It slammed into them, staggering them.
He took the opportunity to rush in. Three strokes.
Three heads hit the ground.
[Cursed Blade Muramasa: Affection +1]
[Current Affection: 31]
Smooth.
For the first time, Shinji felt completely in control during a fight.
Not because the enemies were too weak, but because he could see everything.
The blood was his scout.
As long as there was blood on the battlefield, he was the master of this domain.
And right now, on this battlefield, the one thing there was no shortage of was blood.
"Kill!"
The goblin leader roared from behind the mob.
More yokai surged forward, filling the gaps left by their fallen comrades.
Shinji didn't stop.
He charged straight into the swarm.
A crazy choice.
But [Blood Resonance] gave him the capital to be crazy.
The blade flashed.
One stroke. Two strokes. Three strokes.
Every stroke brought a spray of blood. Every spray widened his field of vision.
He moved through the mob like a fish through water.
No yokai could sneak up on him.
Their blood had already betrayed their positions.
Thirty seconds.
Another twelve yokai fell.
Shinji's blade work grew faster and faster, his movements increasingly fluid.
The strength of these yokai was all over the place.
Some died in one hit. Some needed two. A few could even block his attacks.
There were clear gaps between them.
Where did the gaps lie?
In the differences in their forms. In their degree of 'mutation' from their original shape, before they became yokai.
Some were just ordinary deformed creatures, discolored skin, grown claws, that was it.
Others had clearly mutated more thoroughly. They had grown horns, scales, tails, organs that shouldn't exist on their original form.
A rare few were a whole size larger than their kind, their movements quicker and fiercer.
This was the essence of a yokai.
Change.
From weak to strong, from mortal to demon.
Every change was an evolution. Every evolution made a yokai stronger.
In these three months, Shinji had gradually figured out this system.
Yokai growth was divided into four major stages, called the 'Four Transformations'.
The first stage was called 'Body Transformation'.
This was the most basic change. It referred to mutations in physical structure.
A wolf growing horns. A snake growing legs. An insect growing wings. A fish growing claws.
These visible, localized mutations were the characteristics of Body Transformation.
An ordinary beast or wandering spirit that absorbed enough demonic energy would begin Body Transformation.
Body Transformation was divided into six minor stages, corresponding to the limits of the limbs, head, and trunk that a normal creature could directly control. These were called the 'Six Changes'.
Each completed Change added one new mutation feature, and strength increased accordingly.
Yokai that completed all Six Changes could attempt to break through to the next major stage, 'Quality Transformation'.
Quality Transformation generally corresponded to changes in mass and volume. It was a further step from localized changes, a transformation of the whole.
At this stage, yokai could alter their own size.
Grow big when they wanted, shrink when they wanted, ultimately reaching 'Perfect Mass' based on their original species.
After Quality Transformation came 'Aura Transformation'.
Aura Transformation was another metamorphosis based on Perfect Mass. Shinji wasn't clear on the specifics, because he hadn't encountered any yokai that had reached this level.
He only knew that yokai at this level were sometimes called 'Generals' by smaller fry, and could also be called 'Great Yokai'.
He didn't know the details, but the term 'Great Yokai' wasn't hard to understand. Based on what he'd observed about 'Quality Transformation', the so-called Perfect Mass at its limit, depending on the yokai's choice, could allow them to get infinitely close to a human form.
Close to human, wasn't that the basic characteristic of 'Great Yokai' in countless fantasy works?
The final stage after that was called 'Form Transformation'.
Shinji speculated that the basis of Form Transformation was completely 'shifting form', becoming human-shaped. Not just simple illusion, not just looking like a human. It should mean being both yokai and human, having two bodies to that extent, even capable of bearing human children.
Yokai that could complete Form Transformation were often called 'Yokai Kings'.
The kind that could openly establish their own territories, rule a country or a region, and found yokai nations.
And Shinji himself,
He was currently at the initial stage, Body Transformation.
Five Changes.
Only five Changes.
Each Change corresponded to a trait granted to him by a weapon he'd successfully pursued.
The First Change came from that first samurai sword: [Strengthened Body Change], making his skin tough as iron.
The Second Change came from a dagger: [Keen Eye Change], greatly enhancing his dynamic vision.
The Third Change came from a broken bow: [Archer's Change], doubling the strength in his upper body.
The Fourth Change came from a spear: [Spear Waist Change], making his waist and abdomen incredibly flexible.
The Fifth Change came from a shield: [Shield Bone Change], increasing his bone density, greatly boosting his endurance.
Five weapons. Five mutations.
Max out the affection on each weapon, and you could merge its ability into yourself, simultaneously completing one 'Change'.
This was probably the core function of his system.
Other yokai, if they wanted to evolve, had to spend time, endure all sorts of trials and tribulations, and risk their lives at every step.
He just needed to grind affection.
Simple. Efficient.
And there was a clear path to follow.
More importantly, he could actually choose what kind of 'Change' he wanted.
Unlike other yokai, who could only rely on luck for whatever mutation they got.
"Here comes another one!"
A massive centipede spirit lunged from the side. Its body was a good six meters long, and the shell on its back gleamed with a metallic sheen.
This centipede spirit was at least Four Changes.
A top-tier example of the Body Transformation stage.
But that was it.
Shinji sidestepped the centipede's head-first charge and swept his blade across its underside.
The shell was too hard. It didn't cut through.
But blood splattered out.
Through those droplets of blood, Shinji saw the gaps in the centipede spirit's shell.
Between the seventh and eighth segments, there was a fine crack.
He pushed off the ground and dodged to the centipede's side again.
The tip of his blade stabbed into the crack.
Twisted.
The centipede's shriek tore through the forest.
Shinji didn't give it a chance to struggle. He sliced the blade forward along the crack, gutting the giant creature from end to end.
Its insides spilled onto the ground.
[Cursed Blade Muramasa: Affection +3]
[Current Affection: 38]
A single Four Changes yokai, a straight three-point affection increase.
Sure enough, the higher the quality of the prey, the bigger the payoff.
Shinji licked his lips and kept pushing forward.
The yokai mob was starting to waver.
The smug look on the goblin leader's face, hiding in the back, had vanished. Replaced by fear.
"What's going on?!"
It shrieked.
"He's just a demon warrior! A low-level undead yokai! How can he be this strong?!"
No one answered.
Because anyone who could answer was already dead.
Shinji's blade never stopped.
One stroke, one life.
Occasionally two strokes.
But never needed a third.
[Affection: 42]
[Affection: 45]
[Affection: 48]
The numbers on the panel kept jumping.
Muramasa's blade had shifted from black to a deep purple, the temper line writhing like a living thing. Each kill drew a satisfied hum from it.
It was happy.
Very happy.
[Cursed Blade Muramasa's mood is ecstatic. It conveys a message to you: Bring me another dozen!]
"Your appetite's getting bigger and bigger."
Shinji muttered, not slowing down.
Another goblin fell.
[Affection: 50]
[Unlocked Bond Dialogue (3): It tells you it likes you very much, more than it liked its previous owner, because you know how to feed it.]
[Unlocked Special Ability (2): Bloodthirsty Frenzy]
[Effect: After the blade absorbs enough blood, it can enter a 'Berserk' state. During this time, strength, speed, and reflexes all increase by 30%. The downside is that after it ends, you will fall into a brief period of weakness.]
Shinji looked at the new ability on the panel, his eyes lighting up.
A 30% boost to all stats.
Sure, there was a drawback, but this was a trump card for critical moments.
"Not bad."
He said to the blade in his hand: "Keep it up. When I'm stronger, I'll find you a real high-tier yokai as the main course."
[Cursed Blade Muramasa expresses anticipation.]
There were less than fifty yokai left on the battlefield.
The goblin leader finally broke. It turned and ran.
"Retreat! Everyone retreat!"
The remaining small fry, pardoned, scattered in all directions.
Shinji didn't chase.
He'd killed enough.
If he kept going, he'd seriously overdraw his stamina. If he ran into another mob on the road, he'd be in trouble.
He stood amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, watching the fleeing yokai shadows.
Moonlight poured down, stretching his shadow long.
His battered armor was splattered with blood of all colors. The black katana still hummed softly, as if savoring its recent feast.
One hundred and fifty-three.
Shinji silently counted the tally.
Affection had gone from 28 to 50. A gain of 22 points. That averaged out to about one point for every seven kills.
Sure enough, small fry just weren't cost-effective.
He slid the blade back into its sheath.
Click.
The sound of tsuba meeting scabbard echoed in the silence.
Time to go.
He looked up at the distant mountains.
Somewhere out there, a shrine maiden named Kikyō was waiting for him.
No, that's not right.
The Shikon Jewel was waiting to be delivered.
And incidentally… waiting to have its affection unlocked.