Chapter 28: special grade cursed
tool — scarlet blade
"Very good."
The voice of the elder from earlier sounded again, "In light of your exceptional achievements this time, in addition to the Special Grade certification, The Higher-Ups have specially granted you one entry into the Cursed Tool vault to select one Cursed Tool as a reward. Yaga, take him there."
"Yes."
Yaga Masamichi replied.
Leaving that dim conference room, Yaga led Toho Hiroshi toward the more heavily guarded Cursed Tool vault.
On the way, Yaga said in a low voice, "Just take what The Higher-Ups say with a grain of salt. The title of Special Grade is real; it means you possess greater autonomy and say, but it also means you will face greater danger and more complex situations. Think everything through carefully."
"I understand, Principal Yaga."
Toho Hiroshi nodded.
The Cursed Tool vault of The Higher-Ups was located deep underground, sealed by multiple Barriers and talismans, and the air was filled with the cold scent of ancient Cursed Energy mixed with metal.
Inside the vast space, various Cursed Tools were displayed, ranging from primitive swords to peculiar monk's staves and prayer beads, a dazzling array, with some even exuding dangerous or ominous auras.
Yaga Masamichi said in a deep voice, "According to the rules, you can only choose one. Every Cursed Tool here is of extraordinary value, so choose carefully; you must select the one most compatible with yourself."
"Some Cursed Tools are strong, but if they don't match you, they will only harm you in return."
Toho Hiroshi nodded, his Three Tomoe Sharingan silently activating in his eyes, slowly scanning the displayed Cursed Tools.
With the enhancement of the Sharingan, his perception became extremely sharp, allowing him to clearly capture the Cursed Energy properties, residual will, and potential danger contained within each Cursed Tool.
Although most of the Cursed Tools were powerful, they did not resonate with him in any special way.
Until his gaze swept past an inconspicuous corner, where an extremely subtle yet exceptionally sharp aura, filled with bloodthirsty desire, caught his attention.
It was a primitive ebony sword stand with a katana resting horizontally upon it.
The scabbard was dark red, as if tanned from the leather of some creature, devoid of any ornate decorations, bearing only the wear and tear left by time.
However, just by looking at it, Toho Hiroshi felt the Mangekyo deep within his left eye heat up slightly, and the Cursed Energy in his body seemed to be drawn to it, becoming active.
A cold killing intent, seemingly from ancient times, faintly echoed with the blade.
He stepped forward, his gaze falling on a yellowed tag beside the sword stand, written in archaic characters:
Name: scarlet blade
Grade: special grade cursed tool
Characteristics: Extremely fierce, craves Cursed Energy and blood. The blade contains the residual thoughts of an ancient war soul, capable of releasing scarlet sword energy; its power grows with the user's Cursed Energy strength and compatibility. It has growth potential.
Warning: Those with weak wills should not approach, as it easily backfires on its wielder. However, once it acknowledges its master, the fierce blade becomes the most loyal fang.
"You have your eye on this one?"
Yaga's voice carried a hint of gravity, "The scarlet blade is a famous cursed weapon in the vault. Among its past wielders were many strong individuals, but most were eventually eroded by its ferocity, becoming bloodthirsty and even exploding to death."
"For hundreds of years, no one has been able to truly tame it, and The Higher-Ups have kept it sealed. Hao, are you sure you want to choose it? There are many better choices here."
Toho Hiroshi could feel the eager, fierce will within the scabbard; it was like a starving beast that had been imprisoned for a long time, craving a powerful host body and surging Cursed Energy.
"The fiercer the blade, the more worthy it is of a stronger opponent, isn't that right?"
Toho Hiroshi's tone was calm, yet carried unquestionable confidence, "Besides, I don't believe it will be harder to control than the power within me."
He reached out and slowly grasped the dark red scabbard.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the scabbard—
Hum!
An incomparably violent and fierce will, filled with the desire for slaughter and destruction, erupted from the blade like a bursting flood, rushing wildly into his mind along Toho Hiroshi's arm.
In an instant, the scene before Toho Hiroshi changed.
He felt as if he were in a boundless blood-colored battlefield, with piles of corpses beneath his feet and a dark crimson sky above.
Countless twisted, crazed warrior phantoms let out silent roars, brandishing blood-colored swords, charging at him from all directions, intending to drag him into this eternal purgatory of slaughter and devour his consciousness.
This was the test of the scarlet blade, and also its backlash.
If one's will wavered even slightly, they would immediately be consumed by this endless killing intent and reduced to a blade-slave who only knew how to kill.
"Small tricks."
Toho Hiroshi snorted coldly; facing this mental assault, he didn't even use the power of his Mangekyo.
Taking only a deep breath, the rock-solid, ice-cold willpower of a strong fighter—forged through life and death, sparring with Gojo Satoru, and facing Sukuna—exploded forth.
His spirit seemed to transform into an invisible blade, becoming more refined and sharper, carrying an absolute calmness and dominance that rose above thousands of killings.
"Get lost!"
A low shout exploded in his mental world.
The surging blood-colored illusions and the crazed war soul phantoms, like snow meeting a scorching sun, instantly let out shrill wails and shattered and dissipated, inch by inch.
In the real world, the dark red scabbard trembled violently, emitting an unwilling hum as it tried to break free from Toho Hiroshi's grip.
"Quiet."
Toho Hiroshi tightened his five fingers, and a vast, sea-like surge of Cursed Energy mixed with a trace of Mangekyo's Dōjutsu Power was forcibly injected into the scabbard, as heavy as Mount Tai.
Crack!
It was as if some shackles had been broken, or perhaps the beast had let out its final wail.
The trembling of the blade stopped abruptly.
That fierce will receded like the tide, but it didn't disappear; instead, it became tame.
It remained cold and bloodthirsty, but it no longer tried to attack Toho Hiroshi's consciousness; instead, it was like a tamed vicious dog, cautiously circling him, transmitting a tentative, almost fawning sense of submission.
Hum~
The scarlet blade emitted another soft hum, but this time, the sound became crisp and obedient.
Toho Hiroshi could clearly feel that a wonderful connection had been established between himself and this sword.
The ancient fierce soul within the blade acknowledged his power and chose absolute submission.
He slowly drew the sword from its scabbard.
Shhh—
A demonic scarlet light flowed out.
The blade was long and narrow with a graceful curve, the entire body presenting a dark red color like coagulated blood, yet the edge flashed with a chilling gleam.
On the blade, naturally formed patterns resembling blood vessels were faintly visible, currently glowing slightly, greedily absorbing the Cursed Energy radiating from Toho Hiroshi.
As the Cursed Energy was injected, the scarlet light on the blade became increasingly intense, and an incomparably sharp aura, as if it could sever everything, began to spread.
Toho Hiroshi swung it casually.
Swish!
A semi-circular, extremely condensed scarlet sword energy flew off the blade, silently slashing toward the specially set Barrier target used for testing within the vault.
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