The dust settled.
In the center of the Imagawa main castle, a massive headless beast carcass lay.
Its white fur had lost its luster. The severed neck was charred black, occasional small sparks still jumping from it.
Shinji stood beside the body.
The next moment, a familiar translucent panel appeared before him.
[Detected target]
[Thunder Beast Corpse]
[Quality: Demonic Artifact]
[Current Affection: 0 (Unconscious)]
[Evaluation: A dead thunder beast with faint traces of lightning essence remaining. It no longer has consciousness, but if you are willing to spend time on it, you may obtain something useful.]
Shinji's expression tightened.
A corpse… could be targeted?
Did this system have some kind of problem?
Before, it had been blades, stones, combs at least those were objects or had spirit and history.
Now even corpses?
But he had killed many demons before, and there had been no such option.
Was it because this one was a descendant of the ancient thunder god, with too strong a bloodline?
Or because it had achieved materialization, its bodily structure fundamentally transformed from a living being into an elemental one?
Shinji thought for a second, leaning toward the former. After all, the Kamaitachi had been purified by an arrow, but there had been some remnants yet no option appeared.
But regardless.
"This is a bit twisted," Shinji thought to himself, his face expressionless.
"But—" His gaze fell on the words "lightning essence" on the panel. "I like it."
As long as it made him stronger, what did being twisted matter?
He wasn't human anyway. He was a demon.
It was perfectly reasonable for a demon to have some unusual tastes, right?
This corpse was incredibly valuable.
In life, the thunder beast had been a Quality Transformation level demon leader that had achieved elemental lightning transformation.
Its bodily structure, its flesh and blood, its residual demonic aura pathways, all contained the lightning element.
If he could max out the affection of this corpse
Could he gain [Lightning Transformation]?
Maybe it wouldn't directly allow him to complete elemental materialization, to become lightning itself. But like the Bone Soul he gained from Hiraikotsu, both of demonic artifact quality at the very least, it would allow him, through further fusion with his existing transformations, to gain control over lightning.
A huge improvement.
A clear step toward accumulating the "quantity" needed for Quality Transformation.
Shinji's breathing quickened slightly.
But this thing was too big.
A ten-meter-tall beast, weighing several tons. He couldn't just carry it around.
"Take the essence," Shinji made his decision.
Muramasa left its sheath.
With a swift stroke, he cut off the single purple horn from the wolf's forehead.
That was the convergence point of the thunder beast's lightning power, the core of the entire corpse.
The horn was heavy in his hand, still warm.
[Thunder Beast Horn]
[Quality: Demonic Artifact]
[The accumulated essence of a lifetime's power from a descendant of the thunder god's servant beast. The nexus of lightning power. Possesses the power to unleash thunder.]
[Current Affection: 0]
It worked.
Shinji put away the thunder horn with satisfaction. Though it was a bit large, he'd need to find a cloth to wrap it and carry it on his back.
Done with that, he looked at the other blade in his hand.
Sōza Samonji.
The blade was still bright, not a trace of blood on it.
Famed blades had spirit.
In the battle just now, this blade had shown excellent sharpness and conductivity. Not as familiar as Muramasa, which had been nurtured by the blood of many demons, but definitely a fine blade.
"A shame."
Even a famed blade, in the end, was merely a famed blade among humans. An ordinary weapon.
Such ordinary blades could no longer provide him with truly powerful "skill."
Couldn't be stacked. Couldn't be fused.
He needed at least demonic artifact quality to gain a talent.
If not for that, he would have already stacked dozens of skills, even useless ones.
And leaving it here, as proof of his presence… might actually be more beneficial.
After all, this thing, having been used by him, had a base affection. Others probably couldn't use it anymore.
And if he exorcised a demon in public…
Maybe it would be venerated by humans. Gain "Fear."
Or even, the opposite of Fear, "Faith", which Shinji had never truly encountered.
Gaining another demonic artifact. Even a divine artifact!
Shinji walked to a relatively intact piece of rubble.
He thrust the blade downward.
Sōza Samonji sank deep into the stone, only the hilt left exposed.
"Thanks," he said, patting the hilt.
"I'll come find you when I need you again."
When the time was right, he would return. To "borrow" the blade again.
[Sōza Samonji: Affection +10]
[It's somewhat reluctant. It thinks you're the most skilled "cutter" it's ever had, it will work hard to "grow stronger" and wait for you.]
Shinji smiled.
Not lingering, He turned.
[Phantom Step] activated.
His figure merged into the night and vanished.
Moments later,
Imagawa Yoshimoto emerged from the tenshu ruins with her guards and monks.
Torches lit up the area.
Everyone gasped.
That mountain-like, headless beast carcass lay in the center of the square, radiating a residual power that felt oppressive.
"Dead…"
"That thunder beast… is actually dead…"
The monks looked at each other, disbelief in their eyes.
The monster they had been helpless against for three days, just like that, it was dealt with?
Imagawa Yoshimoto ignored them.
She gathered her skirts and quickly walked to the ruined structure.
There, a blade was embedded.
Sōza Samonji.
The blade gleamed coldly in the torchlight. Unscathed. Even more brilliant than before, as if tempered by the lightning.
She reached out and grasped the hilt.
But immediately pulled her hand back as if shocked, rejected.
Clang—!
A clear blade-song rang out, faintly carrying the sound of thunder.
"My lord, this is… Sōza Samonji?" The elderly monk behind her approached cautiously, not daring to touch it, only murmuring: "This blade… seems to have changed."
Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at the blade before her.
She could feel it.
Within the blade lingered an extremely pure power, the mark left after cutting through thunder.
And the presence of that so-called demon god… Shinji.
"Sōza Samonji…" Imagawa Yoshimoto murmured the name, then shook her head.
A flush of excitement, never seen before, appeared on her face. The exhilaration of witnessing a miracle.
"No," she said.
"From today, it's no longer Sōza Samonji."
She raised the blade, pointing its tip at the massive thunder beast corpse.
"Capable of cutting even the lightning from the heavens. Capable of slaying even the descendant of an ancient thunder beast."
"It deserves that name."
"It deserves… the name Raikiri."
The old monk blinked. "Raikiri? Isn't that the blade of the thunder god in legend…"
"Legends are written by people." Imagawa Yoshimoto cut him off, her tone firm. "Tonight, someone cut lightning here."
"This blade bears witness."
She bowed respectfully to Raikiri, her movements solemn.
Then she turned, looking toward the direction the demon had gone.
Only darkness remained.
But in her eyes, it seemed that red-and-white, Asura-like figure still lingered.
Nakai Shinji.
That demon's name.
"Send word." Imagawa Yoshimoto's voice echoed across the square.
"From this day, establish a shrine in the city."
"Enshrine..." She paused. The crimson demon mask surfaced in her mind.
"Using this blade as a monument, enshrine 'the Asura Demon God Who Cut Thunder'—Nakai Shinji."
"My lord!?" Her retainers were shocked. "That's a demon! How can we enshrine a demon as a god?"
"What if he's a demon?" Imagawa Yoshimoto laughed coldly, her gaze sweeping over the useless monks.
"Compared to you good-for-nothings who just eat, that demon saved my city. Saved my life."
"He's more worthy of my Imagawa family's enshrinement than those high-and-mighty gods."
"And I've heard recently that Uesugi Kenshin in Echigo has enshrined Bishamonten as the guardian god of her domain—calling herself its incarnation, using exorcism as a pretext to invade other territories, not seizing land, but taking people!"
"Takeda Shingen in Kai also calls himself the incarnation of Fudō Myōō."
"Without such a being, how can we compete with her?"
Taira no Sessai was old. He couldn't help her much anymore, this Imagawa Yoshimoto kept to herself.
But regardless.
Since those called themselves "gods," then she would bring forth a demon to oppose them!
Imagawa Yoshimoto's reasoning was firm.
With these words,
The monks lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.
Imagawa Yoshimoto snorted, her sleeves swaying as she turned, her expression resolute:
"This decision is final. Anyone who disagrees can go lie down with that thunder beast."
Silence fell.
Imagawa Yoshimoto looked again at Raikiri.
She knew.
This was not just repayment.
It was a gamble.
In this chaotic age, to form a good connection with such a powerful "demon god"
Perhaps this was the Imagawa clan's chance to rule the land.
As Imagawa Yoshimoto's words fell, the clouds above shifted, and it seemed… the "air" was changing.