After successfully forming a friendship with Tamayo, Lucas didn't hesitate for even a moment.
Without delay, he asked her for a syringe, drew a vial of his own blood, and handed it to her.
His ability to utilize vampire magic wasn't due to any personal affinity or innate talent—it was entirely a result of the system's empowerment. Because of that, his blood should not be significantly different from that of an ordinary human.
To exchange a simple tube of blood for a master-level Blood Demon Art? That was a bargain no matter how one looked at it.
"Tanjiro, you all can talk about the rest. I'm going to take a break."
The discussion that followed concerned whether Nezuko should stay or leave—a matter Lucas had no interest in. He had his own priorities.
What he needed now was a quiet space to fuse the Blood Demon Arts he'd obtained from Tamayo and Yahaba. That was more pressing.
Meanwhile, Tamayo stood there in a daze, her gaze fixed on the vial in her hand.
She had just… received Lucas's blood? Just like that?
Had he really only come here to make friends?
Had she perhaps become too guarded over the years? Or... had people these days really become that simple?
Tamayo had lived for hundreds of years. She had seen the worst of humanity—deception, betrayal, cruelty—but Lucas's directness threw her off.
Before she could process her thoughts, Zenitsu, who had intended to chase after Lucas, stopped in his tracks. His sharp instincts kicked in.
He noticed something strange.
The box next to Tanjiro began to move.
Zenitsu's entire body tensed. From the moment he entered the room, he had sensed it—there weren't just two demons present. There were three.
The third demon was hiding inside the wooden box that Tanjiro always carried on his back.
Now the box was moving.
Was the other demon about to come out?
Zenitsu hovered, frozen in uncertainty, debating whether to call for Lucas.
But before he could decide, the lid of the box slowly opened.
A small, delicate hand stretched out from inside.
Nezuko, dressed in her signature pink kimono, gradually emerged from the box.
At this moment, Nezuko was still in her miniature state. Her large kimono looked like adult clothing draped over a child's body.
She had fair, flawless skin, wide pink eyes shimmering with innocence, and that iconic green bamboo tube clenched gently between her lips.
Zenitsu's jaw nearly hit the floor.
He stood completely stunned, especially as Nezuko began to grow—her petite figure gracefully stretching out to its full size.
Her soft, wavy chestnut hair swayed with each movement, catching the light and reflecting a delicate luster. The pink ribbon tied in her hair danced along, perfectly accentuating her childlike charm and feminine grace.
She looked like a radiant blossom blooming amidst a sea of cherry blossoms.
Even though her mouth was covered by the bamboo tube, her expressive eyes spoke volumes. The gentle glimmer in them could melt the coldest of hearts.
Zenitsu immediately turned around and walked away.
If Lucas wanted to rest, then Zenitsu wasn't going to interrupt him—not when Nezuko had just captured all of his attention.
---
Meanwhile, Lucas had found an empty room and sat down cross-legged in the center.
He opened the system panel and stared at the two Blood Demon Arts awaiting fusion. His heart couldn't help but race with excitement.
> [Do you wish to fuse Blood Demon Art: Red Arrow (Mastery)?]
> [Yes]
The Red Arrow, originally Yahaba's technique, focused on projecting invisible force through ethereal arrows.
It could manipulate objects or targets—pushing, pulling, or rotating them with precision.
What excited Lucas most was its stealth and unpredictability.
In battle, an unexpected push or pull could be the difference between life and death.
As soon as he selected "Yes," a torrent of knowledge surged into his mind—details on how to control the Red Arrow, its patterns, its uses, its limitations.
Then he felt a familiar energy awaken in his body.
It flowed like a wave through his meridians, gradually converging in his right hand.
His closed eyes twitched slightly as he felt the surge build.
Was an eye going to appear in the center of his palm, just like Yahaba?
If that were the case, Lucas would be disappointed. He wasn't interested in grotesque transformations.
But to his surprise, no eye appeared.
Instead, his right hand grew stronger—visibly tougher and more defined.
If he were to draw his sword now, Lucas was confident he could hold his own against a demon two ranks higher than before.
The Red Arrow didn't just grant him a new ability.
It enhanced his physical prowess, especially his dominant arm, nearly doubling its raw power.
Dispersing the swirling force in his palm, Lucas noted the bloodstains on his arm fading away.
Then, a second notification popped up.
> [Do you wish to fuse Blood Demon Art: Vision Illusion Fragrance (Mastery)?]
> [Yes]
Tamayo's Blood Demon Art was a different beast altogether.
Unlike Yahaba's explosive energy-based technique, Tamayo's art was spiritual, subtle, and insidious.
Lucas felt the environment around him quiet down—every sound fading into a suffocating silence.
Then it began.
The Vision Illusion Fragrance emerged—not as a rush of power, but as an intangible resonance with his mind.
There was no shockwave, no heat, no visible aura.
Instead, it was as if his very nerves were being stroked, one by one, by invisible fingers.
It reminded Lucas of a gentle current flowing through his nervous system, softly activating parts of his perception he didn't know existed.
The illusions created by this ability were far stronger than Tamayo's original fragrance technique.
Instead of inducing mild confusion, Lucas's enhanced version could summon brilliant, kaleidoscopic visuals that paralyzed anyone who inhaled the scent—locking them in a dreamlike state.
As the fusion concluded, Lucas slowly opened his eyes.
They glinted with newfound sharpness.
Originally, he had planned to delay his confrontation with the Lower Moon demon. He had wanted to gather more friends, accumulate more abilities.
After all, the Drum Demon was no pushover.
As a former Lower Six member, he still retained considerable power—especially in manipulating rooms and environments.
But now?
With the force-enhancing Red Arrow in his right hand and Tamayo's spiritual illusion technique at his command...
He didn't need to wait anymore.
---
The Drum Demon's primary strength lay in controlling his surroundings—rotating rooms, trapping enemies, disorienting them.
But Lucas had a perfect counter.
If he could use his illusion technique at just the right moment to disorient the demon and interrupt the rotation of the rooms, then closing in for a lethal strike would be easy.
He pulled up his updated status screen:
---
[Host]: Lucas
[Race]: Human
[Realm]: Geng
[Comprehension]: Superior
[Qualification]: Superior
[Talent]: Echo Ear, Gap Thread, Concealment
[Skills]:
• Bandage (Mastery)
• Thunder Breathing
– First Form: Thunderclap and Flash (Mastery)
– Second Form: Rice Soul (Mastery)
– Third Form: Mosquito Gathering Thunder (Mastery)
– Fourth Form: Distant Thunder (Mastery)
– Fifth Form: Heated Thunder Realm (Mastery)
– Sixth Form: Lightning Thunderstorm (Mastery)
• Blood Demon Arts:
– Food Sound (Mastery)
– Red Purity Arrow (Mastery)
– Vision Illusion Fragrance (Mastery)
[Aura]: Ghost King's Appearance
---
The panel was nothing like what it had been when he first bound the [Friendship System].
In just under a month, Lucas had grown from an ordinary swordsman to a fighter capable of taking on elite demons.
All thanks to the system—and more importantly, thanks to friends he made along the way.
Standing up, Lucas stretched his limbs, his joints popping slightly from the stress of the transformation.
The faint morning light crept in through the cracks in the wooden walls.
It was nearly dawn.
Tamayo and Yushiro were likely already gone, having slipped away in their usual quiet manner.
Lucas gave the room one last look, then walked out, his footsteps light but firm.
It was time to move on.
Time for the next encounter.
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