The Demon's demented laughter ceased abruptly.
"It's thirteen... so what, brat? Do you want to be next?"
"Rejoice, I will savor you properly. You smell... you smell absolutely delicious!"
In that instant, his gaze locked onto the slightly vibrating blade Marcus held at his waist.
"Besides, you emanate a scent capable of bringing me profound nostalgia. It's a faint trail... but unmistakable."
"It's a... flavor... that I have already... tasted... hehe~"
"Tsk!"
A sharp whistle cut through the wind.
Marcus's figure vanished. A fraction of a second later, he materialized a mere five meters away, standing face-to-face with the immense demon.
The extreme speed completely surpassed Tanjiro's visual capacity.
And the Demon also stood visibly astonished at the sudden rush.
With a fluid movement of his right hand, Marcus gripped the hilt firmly.
Swish...
The sword left the scabbard.
The friction of the steel produced a crisp hum, rapidly transforming into a menacing roar.
The purple-pink blade flashed with a demonic glare, tearing through the gloom of the forest.
The Demon's yellowish eyes widened, overwhelmed by the shock.
He clearly perceived the aura emanating from that blade... Resentment!
"This... this is..." His voice began to reveal a profound bewilderment.
However, Marcus attacked instantly, crushing any chance for hesitation.
Leaning his body slightly, adopting a completely unprecedented stance for Tanjiro's eyes.
The blade pointed diagonally toward the dirt and his center of gravity dropped drastically, making his entire being resemble a cheetah about to pounce.
Or rather... he imitated a fox ready to sink its fangs.
"Desire Breathing... Second Form..."
His figure blurred once more.
He executed a movement of extreme and blinding speed!
His swift steps on the dirt maintained an absolute and sepulchral stealth.
His trajectory traced sinuous curves, imitating the sprint of an agile fox and leaving trails of pink afterimages behind.
"Fox Walk!"
Upon pronouncing that last syllable, his body materialized on the Demon's right flank.
And the light of the blade flashed like a pink lightning bolt, rising in a violent diagonal slash!
The edge struck directly at the arms on the right side.
Schwack
The sound of steel slicing flesh rang out simultaneously with the Demon's high-pitched shriek!
Four thick limbs flew off, severed from the base!
Blood gushed out like a geyser. The amputated arms fell heavily against the dirt, convulsing spasmodically until they turned into a pile of ashes.
"AAAAAAH!!"
The Demon roared in agony, while his body staggered violently from the pain, driving his remaining arms to launch frantic claw swipes to the right to catch Marcus.
"HOW DARE YOU!!!"
But a paralysis froze his movements.
To his right, the space remained exclusively occupied by a pink afterimage.
The next second, the light of the blade flashed with fury once again!
Slipping completely past the Demon's perception, Marcus managed to circle the right flank and materialize directly facing the left side.
And the blade slashed, severing three more arms with a single clean strike.
"YOU BASTARD!!"
The Demon exploded in absolute fury while an agonizing pain coursed through his monstrous body.
He discarded all thoughts about Marcus's tempting scent, right now, his sole desire was to crush him.
Marcus, however, evaporated from sight once more.
"RUN!" the creature roared while multiple arms sprouted at breakneck speed to replace the lost ones. "Show me how fast you can flee!"
And he unleashed a chaotic and savage frenzy with his limbs, sweeping the surroundings with the intention of exterminating an annoying fly.
Trees cracked and snapped like dry twigs, and deep craters opened in the ground one after another, kicking up thick curtains of dust.
Relying on blind destruction, he decided to saturate the entire zone with a devastating attack.
His idea was simple, yet accurate.
Off to the side, Tanjiro, relegated to the role of an observer, gripped his sword tightly, the hilt already soaked in sweat.
Even the most logical strategy requires overwhelming strength to be executed successfully.
Facing such a tempest, Marcus appeared to have adopted the very essence of an elusive fox, constantly finding a light and safe step through the tiny gaps amid the tide of arms.
Every time his figure materialized, a deadly pink flash accompanied him, inevitably followed by the separation of another limb from the demon's fleshy mass.
Bottom left, four severed arms. Right shoulder blade, three more. Lower back, another two. Main left and right arms...
"AAAAAAH!!"
The Demon's gut-wrenching shrieks echoed across the entire mountain, now revealing an unmistakable trail of pure terror.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!"
This was his very first time facing someone like this!
He deliberately bypassed his vital points, restricting his attacks to slicing off his arms over and over again with surgical precision.
He was... HE WAS DISMEMBERING HIM!
However, facing that desperate roar, Marcus pressed on with his assault and upon reappearing, adjusted his blade's trajectory, executing a perfect horizontal slash.
But... his target remained far below the neck.
It was the four fat legs.
SCHWACK!
The speed of the severing proved so astonishing... that the Demon lost his balance instantly. His legs separated from his torso amid shrieks, and the massive hulk of flesh slammed heavily against the dirt.
"You... W-WHO ARE YOU?!"
He was on the verge of going insane, growing his arms back and starting to attack frantically while roaring uncontrollably, "You belong somewhere else entirely... t-those brats are completely below your level!"
Swish
Moving swiftly, Marcus reappeared standing on a tree branch ten meters away.
He exhaled brief pants, yet maintained an absolute seriousness in his gaze.
And in his hand, the purple-pink glare of the blade increased in intensity with every passing second.
The lament in the blade faded into oblivion. Now it vibrated with pure excitement.
He gazed at the vibrating blade and, with a barely audible whisper, murmured,
"Makomo, patience."
"This is just beginning."
He raised his eyes once more to lock his gaze on the Demon, whose face was deformed by absolute terror and wrath.
A freezing smile formed on Marcus's lips.
"Who am I?"
The breeze caressed his waist, lifting the fox mask adorned with little flowers until it lay exposed directly before the demon's eyes.
"I am simply another disciple of Urokodaki."
"That mask!" The Demon's eyes dilated to the max, recognizing the pattern, "I've seen—"
Striking before the horror fully set in, Marcus resumed his stance.
"Desire Breathing - Second Form: Fox Walk!"
A pink silhouette appeared next to the Demon again, pruning the newly regenerated arms with surgical precision.
Kill him in a single slash?
An undeserved mercy!
A clean cut represented way too much compassion.
Dying like that... how would that avenge the pain Makomo felt when her limbs were torn off?
Who would bear the despair Sabito felt while being chewed up?
Who would understand the old man's agony upon receiving the news of the deaths of the disciples he raised himself, one after another?
"Regenerate! Keep going! KEEP PUSHING!"
His roar and the impact of three arms against the dirt pounded the demon's ears.
"AGH!!!"
"MAKE THEM GROW!!"
The Demon crashed heavily against the ground, his four newly grown legs severed once again.
"I want to see how many hands you can grow!"
The newly sprouted hands flew off again in a purple flash.
The Demon became a massive, repulsive trunk. He writhed on the dirt, howling in pain with pure despair.
Growing arms, severed!
Sprouting legs, amputated!
Marcus acted as a meat grinder, spinning and pulverizing everything.
"SCREAM! Despair more, howl louder! SCREAM UNTIL YOUR VOICE REACHES MOUNT SAGIRI!!!"
His face gradually twisted with a savage fury. Engulfed in the violent purple flames surrounding him, he looked exactly like the incarnation of Ghost Rider!
He exclusively used a single stance.
Just this one!
Fox Walk.
Applying solely this technique granted by Makomo succeeded in purging the hatred rooted in his heart.
[Name: Makomo Urokodaki (Sword Spirit)]
[Strength Rating: D]
[Power Rating: High (Able to activate Third Analysis Level)]
[Current Analysis Progress: 90%]
[Attribute Boost: 30%]
[Total Concentration Efficiency Boost: 50%]
[Derived Technique: Desire Breathing - Second Form: Fox Walk]
This was Makomo's information after entering his sword.
Such integration implied reaching the Third Level.
While the attribute boost granted by Nezuko proved superior, Makomo possessed the absolute capacity to synchronize with him, allowing him to exert 100% of the received power's efficiency.
Because she resided right in his hands.
She would be the one accompanying him the longest!
Since she had just entered the sword, Makomo maintained a silent and purely spiritual state for the time being.
But upon gripping the hilt, the anger and hatred of both flowed in a perfect connection of hearts.
Their shared emotions conveyed everything perfectly.
"Desire Breathing - Second Form: Fox Walk"
——
Hand over your Power Stones right now, or Marcus is going to practice the Fox Walk on you next. Drop 'em!
________
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