Aoki did the math.
He'd killed seventeen demons today, not counting the Hand Demon. They'd given him ninety experience.
"The rewards are dropping fast. No need to hunt these weak demons anymore."
Ding!
["Mt. Fujikasane Dungeon" Complete. Rewards Issued.]
[Congratulations! Leveled Up!]
"Task rewards are the best!"
Aoki praised the System. He thought for a moment, put his 2 stat points into Intelligence and Agility, as planned.
A cool feeling flowed through him. Aoki felt his mind sharpen. His thoughts sped up a little. His bulging muscles smoothed out.
The skill point went to Demon Blood, of course. He got the "All Stats +1" message again.
Aoki was about to check the System panel. He froze.
A feeling he'd never felt before washed over him. It was like chains breaking. Every cell cheered. Every drop of blood shouted.
Relief! Freedom! Joy!
Like being born again!
Aoki understood. "Did the curse Muzan put in me disappear?"
Muzan left a curse in the blood of every demon he made. Any demon who spoke his name would be killed by the curse.
He could control the blood he gave demons. He could seal their regeneration. He could kill any demon easily.
Once you were a demon, you could never defy Muzan.
The only exceptions were Tamayo and Yushiro.
Tamayo had done experiments on herself, using her medical skills to break free. Yushiro was the only demon not made by Muzan. He wasn't bound by the curse.
It was a thorn in Aoki's side.
Turning into an Aberrant Demon hadn't freed him from Muzan. His life was in Muzan's hands.
Breaking free from Muzan was more important than any stat boost.
"No... It's more than that!"
Aoki felt his changes. He understood.
It wasn't just breaking free from Muzan. He'd taken control of his bloodline. He'd cut the link to Muzan completely.
"I was thinking about asking Tamayo for help. But this is gone. The System doesn't disappoint!"
Aoki praised the System, looked at the panel.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 13]
[Constitution: 12]
[Intelligence: 12]
[Agility: 12]
[Profession: Hunter, Aberrant Demon]
[...]
[Aberrant Demon]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv4 (118/400)
Skills: Demon Blood Ⅲ, Space Warp (Available), Transparent World (Available), Demon Devour
He was past the weak newbie stage.
Aoki tried to learn a skill, without thinking.
Transparent World.
[Sorry, Prerequisite Skill Level Insufficient.]
Space Warp.
[Sorry, Skill Points Insufficient.]
"Still can't learn them... Hmm?"
Aoki blinked. "Space Warp... I can learn it?"
He tried again. The System said, "Skill Points Insufficient."
"Is Space Warp easier than Transparent World? Makes sense, I guess. Here, Transparent World is harder than a Blood Demon Art."
Aoki nodded, thought it over.
Then, he saw the bad news.
Learning and leveling skills cost more now!
Space Warp cost 2 skill points. Leveling Demon Blood again cost 3.
"The fast leveling is over," Aoki realized.
His stats had jumped so much because of Demon Blood.
If he learned Space Warp now, he wouldn't level Demon Blood again until level 9.
Aoki pushed the thoughts away.
The Mt. Fujikasane trip was a success. Better than he'd expected.
Now...
Time to leave.
This place wasn't safe.
Aoki ran down the mountain, without looking back.
...
In Asakusa's busy streets...
A black-haired man in fine clothes, his face pale, walked slowly through the crowd.
People laughed, talked, played. They didn't know a man-eating demon walked among them.
Then, Muzan Kibutsuji stopped. He turned, without thinking. His eyes seemed to see through space, to reach Mt. Fujikasane.
His face twisted with rage. And a little disbelief.
"What happened? How did he do it?"
He'd felt a link break. He'd sensed it. A demon he'd made had broken free.
"What's the secret of that human? I should have studied him more!"
Muzan's eyes were cold.
He hated change. He hated things he didn't expect.
But under the anger, he felt regret.
"It doesn't matter. I'll get him back! Who's nearby? Rui? No. Not enough. I need more. Make sure you bring him back!"
Muzan's face was terrifying. He walked into a shadowed alley. He vanished, silent, swallowed by the dark.
...
The moonlight was soft. The autumn night was like water.
Two figures walked side by side, fast.
They came closer to Mt. Fujikasane. They stopped at the base.
The smaller figure was a female demon. Short white hair. Horns on her forehead. Red eyes, purple pupils. Red lines marked her face.
The taller figure had curved horns on his head. His face was cruel, like an ogre.
"This is it?"
The female demon looked up at Mt. Fujikasane. She frowned.
Wisteria.
So much wisteria.
That man had given them a hard task.
Nearby...
Two Demon Slayer Corps members in brown uniforms walked slowly.
"I thought I heard something over here."
"You're hearing things. Who'd come here in the middle of the night?"
"Maybe a demon?"
"Hahaha! A demon on Mt. Fujikasane? They smell the wisteria from miles away. They run."
"Maybe not. What if..."
They stopped talking. They saw the figures at the base of the mountain.
"Demons!"
"Real demons!"
They looked at each other, grim.
"They haven't seen us yet."
"Then..."
They nodded, slowly drew their swords.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
They charged, attacked the demons.
The demons didn't react.
The Demon Slayers thought they'd won. Then, they coughed blood, flew back. Their chests were crushed.
The demons turned slowly. Their eyes held amusement, scorn.
The Demon Slayers felt cold.
In the moonlight, they saw the words carved in the demons' eyes. "Lower Six." "Lower Four."
---
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