Asuramaru spoke slowly, his expression calm.
"Beyond that, I can also grant Feedback to my Sword Master. When my Sword Master uses to slay demons, I recover Demon Power. A portion of that Demon Power can then be used to strengthen his body."
The courtyard fell still.
For a mont, the Hashira's first instinct was disbelief.
A sword that prevented demons from healing was already absurd.
A sword that could heal human wounds was beyond reason.
And now it could strengthen its wielder by killing demons?
It sounded too convenient. Too perfect. Too much like a tale exaggerated through a hundred retellings.
Then their gazes shifted toward Tanjiro.
No one could deny what had happened at Mount Natagumo.
He had slain four Lower Moons in one night.
Four.
Even among the Hashira, that was not a feat to be dismissed lightly. Tanjiro was talented, yes, and his resolve was plain to see, but talent alone could not explain that speed of growth.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki's expression changed for the first ti.
The smile on his face faded slightly, replaced by a rare solemnity.
If Asuramaru's words were true, then the Demon Slayer Corps might be able to train a swordsman capable of reaching Muzan Kibutsuji.
Perhaps even surpassing the boundary that had trapped them for a thousand years.
As for the Hashira, had they not already been told that Asuramaru recognized only Tanjiro as his Sword Master, so of them might have already tried to recruit the sword on the spot.
After all, who would not want a weapon that could sharpen both itself and its master through battle?
Kagaya collected his thoughts and asked with quiet seriousness, "Is there a limit to this strengthening?"
Asuramaru's crimson eyes settled on him.
"There is no fixed limit," he replied. "But the stronger the Sword Master becos, the more Demon Power is needed for the Feedback to have a aningful effect."
A reasonable answer.
The stronger the body, the harder it was to improve. Even among swordsn, that truth was obvious.
Kagaya lowered his eyes slightly, already beginning to consider how Tanjiro's training should be arranged.
But Asuramaru was not finished.
"I can also possess and control my Sword Master's body," he continued. "Through that, I can activate a state called Demonization. In that state, he can use part of Asuramaru's power."
Several Hashira imdiately focused.
"The drawback," Asuramaru said, "is that using it for too long will cause complete Demonization."
The word made the air tighten.
Before anyone could misunderstand, Asuramaru added, "The 'demon' I speak of is not the sa as the creatures you hunt."
The Hashira had all heard legends. Spirits, demons, gods, divine swords—most had dismissed them as stories before today.
Now, with Asuramaru floating in front of them, no one was quite so confident in calling those legends false.
Kagaya asked, "How much power does this Demonization grant?"
Asuramaru did not bother answering directly.
"Ask Tanjiro."
Tanjiro straightened under the sudden attention, his expression stiffening.
"As for the rest," Asuramaru said, "I cannot use many of my abilities in my current state."
Having explained his own abilities in brief, Asuramaru moved on to the final question.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
The very na made the atmosphere in the courtyard change.
Every Hashira looked more serious than before.
The Demon Slayer Corps had hunted Muzan for generations. Yet even now, most of what they knew ca from traces, rumors, and corpses left behind.
Asuramaru, however, spoke as if discussing an enemy he had already seen through.
"Muzan Kibutsuji is a coward who bullies the weak."
The sentence was so blunt that several Hashira blinked.
Asuramaru continued without hesitation.
"He was once nearly killed by Yoriichi Tsugikuni. After that, he hid himself until Yoriichi died before daring to appear again."
Kagaya's gaze sharpened.
The Hashira listened without breathing.
"Do not mistake cowardice for weakness," Asuramaru said. "Muzan is still powerful. He possesses many Blood Demon Arts, and among the more troubleso are the thorn-like whips that extend from his spine and the fanged mouths covering his entire body."
His eyes swept over the Hashira below.
"If any of you et him now, you will likely be killed with ease. You are still too weak."
The words landed like a blade.
The Hashira's expressions shifted one by one.
No warrior enjoyed being told they were weak, especially not the strongest swordsn of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Sanemi's jaw tightened.
Obanai's eyes narrowed.
Tengen's smile thinned.
Even Rengoku, usually bright and unshakable, fell silent.
Tanjiro, kneeling nearby, felt his heart pound. Asuramaru really did not know how to soften his words.
Kagaya stepped in before the atmosphere could turn sharp.
"Are my children truly so lacking?"
Asuramaru looked at the Hashira again and nodded.
"Yes. Truly."
Brutal.
Clean.
rciless.
Then he added, "Breathing Styles can be divided into several stages. Mastery is only the foundation. Above that is the Slayer Mark, and beyond it lies the Transparent World. Yet no one here has even awakened the Slayer Mark."
This ti, even Kagaya was visibly moved.
The Hashira were hearing these terms for the first ti.
Slayer Mark.
Transparent World.
For those who had climbed to the peak of modern swordsmanship, the revelation that there were still higher realms beyond their understanding was like being shown a mountain hidden behind clouds.
Kagaya imdiately asked, "How does one awaken the Slayer Mark? And how does one reach the Transparent World?"
Asuramaru did not have a perfect answer.
Or rather, Alex could not clearly explain the process in a way they could follow.
So he answered vaguely.
"When the ti cos, it will awaken naturally."
Then he added, "However, the Slayer Mark cos at a cost. Those who awaken it usually die before reaching the age of twenty-five."
Silence fell again.
It was a cruel price.
Power, in exchange for life.
For a swordsman who fought demons every night, death was never far away. Yet hearing the condition spoken so plainly still weighed heavily on them.
After a mont, Kagaya asked another question, his tone solemn.
"May I ask who Yoriichi Tsugikuni was? And why was Muzan nearly killed by him?"
Asuramaru did not answer imdiately.
His gaze drifted toward the wooden box containing Nezuko.
Kagaya understood at once.
He turned toward the Hashira and said, "I have already acknowledged Tanjiro and Nezuko. I hope all of you will also co to acknowledge them in ti."
The Hashira did not respond imdiately.
Their hostility toward Tanjiro had lessened, but Nezuko was still a demon. Acceptance was not sothing that could be forced with a few words.
Kagaya knew this as well.
Fortunately, Asuramaru did not dwell on it.
He looked across the courtyard and continued.
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the origin of all Breathing Styles. He created Sun Breathing. He was born with the Slayer Mark and the Transparent World."
A faint pause.
"He was likely the strongest human this world has ever produced."
The words were simple.
Yet the image they painted was imnse.
The origin of all Breathing Styles.
A man born standing at a height others could only spend their lives trying to glimpse.
"When Yoriichi first encountered Muzan," Asuramaru said, "he saw through Muzan's body and discovered that he had five brains and seven hearts. Muzan had already overco the weakness of decapitation. Only sunlight and Sun Breathing could truly kill him."
The Hashira were shaken again.
Five brains.
Seven hearts.
A body that could survive decapitation.
Muzan's monstrosity was beyond what most of them had imagined.
For a mont, they could almost picture it—a battle between the progenitor of demons and the greatest swordsman in history. A clash so fierce it might have shaken the night itself.
Then Asuramaru destroyed that grand image with one sentence.
"It is rather amusing, actually. Muzan was cut down instantly."
The Hashira froze.
Asuramaru continued calmly, "Had he not fled quickly enough, he would have died there. He split his body into eighteen hundred pieces to escape. Yoriichi cut down fifteen hundred of them in an instant."
Another pause.
"Unfortunately, the remaining pieces escaped."
No one spoke.
They had imagined a fierce battle.
A legendary duel.
A struggle between two beings standing at the peak of their respective races.
And now Asuramaru was telling them Muzan had been nearly killed in a single exchange?
What kind of fierce battle was that?
That was not a battle.
That was an execution that failed only because the condemned man scattered himself into pieces.
Even the Hashira, who had long trained their hearts against fear and surprise, could not imdiately process it.
Asuramaru paid no attention to their shock.
"Muzan only dared to appear again after Yoriichi died. Fearing that a second Yoriichi might erge, he hunted down everyone connected to Sun Breathing."
His crimson gaze shifted.
This ti, it landed on Tanjiro.
"But now, there is soone in this world who has inherited Sun Breathing again."
The aning was too clear to miss.
One by one, the Hashira turned toward Tanjiro Kamado.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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