"It hurts so much!"
"This is bad... the blood mist... it's poisonous..."
As the blood mist spread throughout the Butterfly Mansion, everyone who inhaled it felt a soul-crushing agony, as if their internal organs were being sliced by a thousand blades. The pain was unbearable.
Seeing people collapse one by one, Kocho Shinobu's expression shifted drastically. She shouted a warning, "Everyone, hold your breath! Get to a ventilated area outside immediately!"
Once they reached a ventilated spot and the wind blew, the blood mist would naturally dissipate.
While Shinobu's plan was sound, the agony from inhaling the mist left everyone screaming. In such pain, simply remaining conscious was a feat in itself; moving was nearly impossible.
Hearing Shinobu's shout, Evernight sneered. "You think holding your breath will save you? Don't be so naive!"
With a wave of his hand, the ethereal blood mist became like puppets on strings. Under his control, it seeped through the capillaries of the Demon Slayers and into their bodies.
In just a few breaths, the sensation of being torn apart spread from their organs to their entire bodies. Several fell to the ground instantly, dying from the sheer intensity of the pain!
"Heh heh, well? Does it hurt?"
"My Crimson Poison Mist doesn't harm your physical body. Instead, it stimulates your cells to create the sensation of being torn apart. The more mist you inhale, the deeper the agony becomes."
"Eventually, this intense pain will completely destroy your nervous system and kill your brain!"
"Heh heh heh... Feel the pain. Understand the pain. If you want to blame someone, blame your Insect Hashira. She's the one who loves using poison so much, after all..."
"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice!"
Swish!
Suddenly, a cold flash of light cut through the mist. A sharp blade struck with such speed that even Evernight's eyes widened in surprise.
"Blood Demon Art: Dark Space!"
Fortunately, Evernight activated his Blood Demon Art just in time to narrowly evade the strike. This allowed him to see his attacker: Kocho Shinobu.
'It passed through again? This guy's Blood Demon Art is too bizarre!' Shinobu cursed under her breath, her hand tightening around her Nichirin Sword.
Evernight turned back, looking at her with genuine surprise.
"How is this possible? You clearly inhaled my Crimson Poison Mist. Why can you still move? You should have been rendered immobile by the pain long ago."
"Hmph, how should I know? Insect Breathing, Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon!" Shinobu said no more and lunged forward once again.
In truth, even she didn't fully understand it. She had inhaled the mist, yet she didn't feel the gut-wrenching pain the others did. Not only could she move freely, but she could even use her Breathing Styles.
Now was not the time to wonder. The priority was to defeat Evernight and save the others.
The immediate task was to defeat him as quickly as possible.
She was the only one left who could fight.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of clashing weapons echoed through the mist as sparks flew. They fought back and forth with intense speed.
Despite the exchange, Shinobu's brow remained furrowed. It was obvious that Evernight was not even using his full strength.
Indeed, Evernight had been focusing on defense, never truly going on the offensive. His dark purple eyes were fixed on her, determined to uncover why she could still move.
After a long silence, Evernight's lips curled into a smirk. "I see now. I didn't realize you were so ruthless!"
Evernight nodded slightly. "You've injected Wisteria poison into your own body, haven't you? And in an incredibly high concentration."
"My Crimson Poison Mist is a gas, but its essence is my blood—the blood of a Berserk Demon. When you absorb the mist, the Wisteria poison in your system reacts, neutralizing the toxic blood mist. Fascinating. Truly fascinating!"
Evernight laughed playfully. "But to inject such a high concentration into yourself... you must hate us to your very core!"
"That's right! I have always hated your kind!"
"I hate you for killing my sister! I hate that you dared to take Ren's form and use the trust we have in him to hurt others!"
"I will never forgive you!"
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag!"
Shinobu lunged forward, her blade flashing with a faint yet exceptionally brilliant light within the crimson mist.
...
While Shinobu and Evernight were locked in a life-and-death struggle, Ren had already reached the foot of the mountain where the Butterfly Mansion sat. He was panting heavily, looking quite disheveled.
Though his constitution was dozens of times greater than a normal human's, running a hundred and fifty miles in one go was pushing his limits. But as long as he reached the mansion in time, it was worth it!
"Faster! I need to be faster! I'm almost there. Shinobu, please, you have to hold on!"
Ren sprinted forward, crossing a hundred meters in the blink of an eye as he accelerated toward the summit.
Meanwhile, system notifications continued to chime in his mind.
[SYSTEM: 100 KM SPRINT DETECTED. SPEED +2, CONSTITUTION +3]
[SYSTEM: 110 KM SPRINT DETECTED. SPEED +3, CONSTITUTION +4]
[SYSTEM: 120 KM SPRINT DETECTED. SPEED +4, CONSTITUTION +5]
As the notifications rang out, Ren's speed continued to rise, and his base attributes climbed visibly.
After an unknown amount of time, another system prompt echoed in his mind!
[SYSTEM: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST. TOTAL BASE ATTRIBUTES HAVE EXCEEDED 1,000. CONSTITUTION HAS REACHED 300. FULL BODY MUSCLE MUTATION DETECTED. DEMON BACK MODE SUCCESSFULLY UNLOCKED!]
[SYSTEM: UPON ACTIVATING DEMON BACK MODE, THE HOST WILL GAIN POWER BEYOND ALL LIMITS, BECOMING THE STRONGEST ULTIMATE ORGANISM ON THE PLANET!]
[SYSTEM: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST FOR ACTIVATING DEMON BACK MODE. LEARNED LIGHT COMBAT TECHNIQUE: SHADOWLESS HOLY LIGHT SWORD!]
[SYSTEM: SHADOWLESS HOLY LIGHT SWORD: LIKE A SOLAR FLARE, IT SLAYS ENEMIES AT SPEEDS INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. THIS IS THE STRONGEST COMBAT TECHNIQUE, USABLE ONLY BY THOSE WHO HAVE UNLOCKED DEMON BACK MODE AND SURPASSED HUMAN LIMITS!]
'My total attributes broke one thousand?'
Ren was stunned for a moment. Without realizing it, had his attributes grown that much?
With a thought, the attribute panel he hadn't checked in a long time appeared before him.
[REN]
[STRENGTH: 350]
[SPEED: 330]
[CONSTITUTION: 300]
[FIVE SENSES: 200]
[COMBAT TECHNIQUES: OBLITERATION, WHIRLWIND DANCE, DRAGON DANCE, THUNDER GOD'S HEAVEN-SLAYING SLASH, WATER TORNADO, NIGHT SKY GALAXY, SHADOWLESS HOLY LIGHT SWORD]
[SPECIAL ABILITIES: MARKS, DEMON BACK]
...
"This is... my power now!"
Looking at his attribute panel, Ren's resolve hardened. As he accelerated, his body temperature soared. Crimson marks appeared on his face as his body once again surpassed its limits.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]