The battle was not yet over.
Demons continued to arrive in an endless stream.
Hikaru's demon blade muramasa had turned crimson from the slaughter, and the purple patterns on the blade pulsed frantically like living blood vessels.
[ demon blade muramasa's mood is 'Ecstatic', it indicates: It hasn't been this full in a long time. ]
This blade's appetite was growing larger and larger.
Hikaru had no time to complain, because two more demons were rushing toward him.
One was a four-armed ape, each arm three times thicker than normal, with bulging veins and knotted muscles.
This was undoubtedly another [Strength Transformation].
A pure strength-type mutation; the most direct, and also the most troublesome.
Not to mention it had four arms, and each arm was actually one transformation.
Above Five Transformations.
The other was a humanoid figure formed from a mass of mist, without facial features, only a vague outline, its body periodically solidifying and then becoming ethereal.
But it wasn't something that had turned into mist.
Rather, it was the mist itself that had gained consciousness.
It had become a Mist Demon, a Mirage Demon.
This was undoubtedly an extremely troublesome type of demon.
In this world, in this era, everything and anything could become a demon. However, the more rigid the 'dead object', the greater the difficulty in becoming a demon; for something like mist, it was even harder.
Yet if it could succeed, upon appearing, it would be at least a high-level demon approaching Six Transformations or higher.
Because for mist to become a demon, it first needs to go through stages of being able to perceive, move, gather, and disperse, and only then can it fully control itself and transform into a demon.
And each of these stages counts as one transformation.
One solid, one ethereal.
Hikaru thought.
This combination is quite disgusting.
As this thought crossed his mind.
The four-armed ape attacked first, all four fists slamming down simultaneously.
Hikaru did not take it head-on, instead using [Ghost Step] to dodge to one side.
But just as he stood steady, that mass of mist had already drifted over.
A black hand extended from the mist, aiming straight for his chest.
"Bang!"
Hikaru was sent flying by the palm strike, crashing through two pillars.
This is the troublesome nature of a Mist Demon: it solidifies when attacking and becomes ethereal when being attacked.
Unless one can seize the opportunity the moment it solidifies, it is impossible to hurt it at all.
"Cough..."
Hikaru climbed out from the rubble, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
That palm strike was not light.
But his eyes lit up.
Because he saw it.
Through the blood mist drifting across the battlefield, he saw the pattern of when that mass of mist solidified.
Before every attack, its "core" would solidify first.
That core was located at the chest, only the size of a fist, and the time it stayed solid was about half a breath.
Half a breath.
That is enough.
Hikaru gripped the muramasa tightly again and charged toward that mass of mist.
The four-armed ape blocked his path, its four fists slamming down again.
This time, Hikaru did not dodge.
He raised his blade to parry.
"Clang—!"
A tremendous force came through, his arms trembling.
But he held his ground.
Just then, the mist drifted out from behind the ape, that hand reaching toward his back once again.
Hikaru did not turn his head.
He simply turned his body, just enough to clear the line of fire behind him.
"Twang!"
A Sacred Arrow whistled as it arrived.
The mass of mist wanted to turn ethereal, but the arrow came too fast.
It only managed to solidify its core in preparation for an attack—and then the arrow pierced into that core.
Spiritual power exploded.
The mist dissipated completely.
Then,
Hikaru pressed the advantage, his blade slashing upward, and in the moment the four-armed ape was stunned, he severed one of its arms with a single strike.
The ape shrieked and retreated.
But with only three arms left, it was no longer a threat.
Hikaru chased it down, three strikes.
All four limbs severed.
One final strike, decapitation.
[ demon blade muramasa: Affinity + 4 ]
[ Current Affinity: 93 ]
[ It conveyed a message to you: 'Almost there, almost full.' ]
Hikaru looked at the panel, his heart stirred.
It's at 93.
Only 7 points away from the maximum.
He looked around; eight demons remained.
That is enough.
"Continue."
He charged toward the next demon.
The ensuing battle was almost a one-sided slaughter.
The cooperation between Hikaru and Kikyo, which was already extremely tacit, became even more seamless.
The affinity of the muramasa in his hand continued to rise accordingly.
94.
96.
98.
99...
"The last one."
Hikaru looked at the shivering one-horned snake demon in front of him.
It was only a Five Transformations demon; it had been scared witless, wanting to run but unable to move.
Hikaru raised his blade.
One strike fell.
The head rolled off.
[ demon blade muramasa: Affinity + 1 ]
[ Current Affinity: 100 (Complete) ]
[ Congratulations, you have unlocked all bonds for 'demon blade muramasa'. ]
[ Unlocked Special Ability (3): Bloodthirsty Immortality ]
[ Effect: As long as the blade is stained with blood, your wounds will continuously recover. The more blood, the faster the recovery. ]
[muramasa has conveyed its final bond message to you: "I am very satisfied. It is my honor to be wielded by you. Now, let my abilities merge with your body." (After the fusion, basic bonuses and dialogue functions are retained, but there are no more special talents.)]
Hikaru, having anticipated this, looked down at the muramasa in his hand.
The black katana was glowing.
Purple light overflowed from the blade, climbing along his arm and seeping into his skin.
It didn't hurt.
Instead, there was a strange sense of comfort.
It was like... returning home.
[The abilities of the demon blade muramasa are merging with the host's body...]
["Bloodthirsty Immortality" has been bound.]
["Resonance with Blood" has been bound.]
["Bloodthirsty Madness" has been bound.]
The blood that had stopped flowing after his death began to move again—along with his heartbeat. For an Ghost Samurai like Hikaru, so-called demonization and transformation were essentially about making his dead body move step by step and restoring its vitality.
From then on, even without holding the blade, Hikaru could unleash the power of "Blood."
He looked at the prompts on the panel.
He could also feel his own progress.
He had completed the sixth transformation of the Physical Transformation stage: Blood Transformation.
From now on, he could use blood as an eye to achieve Resonance with Blood, stimulate the blood in his body to enter a berserk state without side effects, and even more—fight while bathed in blood, absorbing blood from the battlefield to continuously recover himself.
Six Transformations.
Physical Transformation complete.
He had finally forged the first major stage of yokai evolution, reaching the pinnacle of Physical Transformation.
He had obtained permanent abilities from muramasa.
This was a huge gain.
He opened his other hand.
An invisible blood mist rose from his palm.
"...Not bad."
He clenched the blood mist, then let it dissipate.
Light footsteps came from behind him.
Kikyo walked over.
Her face was a bit pale; she had consumed a significant amount of spiritual power.
But her gaze fell on Hikaru's hand, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"You... have become stronger?"
"Mm."
Hikaru answered briefly.
"I have become stronger."
Kikyo was silent for a moment.
But she did not press for details.
She just turned around and looked at the shikon jewel floating in mid-air.
The jewel was still emitting a pitch-black light.
Magatsuhi was still restless.
"It's not over yet."
She said.
She added, "Tonight is still long."
Hikaru gripped the demon blade muramasa tightly again. Although the blade's abilities had already merged into his body, its inherent sharpness and the perfect control brought by maximum affinity still made it an indispensable weapon for him at the moment.
He replied:
"I know."
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