The old woman looked at Lucas, horror reflected in her trembling eyes.
Though she was utterly confused as to why this man wanted to make friends with a demon, she no longer had the strength or will to resist. The overwhelming pressure pressing down on her made it clear—she could die at any moment.
Faced with such a terrifying presence, the old woman could only nod her head repeatedly in surrender.
She had played all her cards, and still, she couldn't even scratch the man's blade.
> [Bite]
[Successfully added Food Ghost as a friend]
[The host and the Food Sound friend have just become acquainted. Random reward granted.]
[Skill acquired: Blood Demon Art – Food Sound (Mastery)]
[Would you like to merge now?]
[No]
There was no need to keep the old woman alive any longer.
A man nearby, having just arrived on the scene, saw Lucas standing over the fallen demon and felt his legs go weak. He had stepped into the dragon's den itself—and now he feared he too would be devoured.
Before he could even finish that thought, the old woman's head rolled cleanly off her neck.
He hadn't even seen how it happened. One moment she was nodding… and the next—her head hit the floor.
Did Lucas do that?
The man stared, dumbfounded.
But wasn't his blade still in its sheath?
"Lucas! Wait… I…"
Zenitsu had just caught up, only to find nothing but ruins left behind. The demon, already disintegrating into ash in Lucas's hand, crumbled completely in front of his eyes.
His voice grew dry with disbelief.
Lucas did all this?
Zenitsu had only been away for a few moments. What had he missed?
Could Lucas really be this strong?
Lucas glanced at Zenitsu, sniffing the air, sensing for any remaining threats. After confirming there were no more demons in the area, he casually walked over to him.
"Let's go. The mission is complete."
Zenitsu stared blankly at Lucas as he passed by. The mission… over?
He didn't even see the target of the mission, and now it was over?
This was the first Blood Demon Art Lucas had acquired, and he was eager to see how effective it truly was.
After returning to the nearest Demon Slayer Corps branch in Naraku Town, Lucas found a quiet corner, sat down cross-legged on the floor, and opened his system panel.
> [Would you like to fuse the skill: Blood Demon Art – Food Sound (Mastery)?]
[Yes]
As soon as Lucas confirmed the fusion, a rush of strange and complex information flooded into his consciousness.
Blood Demon Art – Food Sound: a technique that consumes surrounding sound to enhance the user's strength. The more skilled and attuned the user is, the more ambient noise they can absorb, which translates into greater power.
The moment he fully understood the skill, Lucas felt an unfamiliar, mystical energy begin to seep through his body—gentle and subtle like melting snow nourishing the land.
Thanks to his unique talent, Echo Ears, Lucas could perceive sounds that ordinary humans could never pick up. These included everything from the tiniest chirp of an insect to the faint hum of the universe. To him, it felt like a grand symphony flowing through the world.
All of these noises stirred ripples deep within his heart.
Then, Lucas felt something change within his chest.
His heart was no longer just a physical organ. It had transformed into a metronome, pulsating in sync with the Blood Demon Art – Food Sound. Every beat drew in sound from the environment, converting it into raw, tangible power.
Energy surged through his veins with an intense, rhythmic pulse.
Lucas examined his hands.
They were overflowing with power.
Under normal circumstances, the amplification provided by Food Sound was modest. But because of his Echo Ears, Lucas could absorb far more ambient sound than most—making the feedback strength from the skill exponentially greater.
The synergy between his gift and the Blood Demon Art was perfect.
Lucas now felt confident that he could defeat even a demon on his own level with ease.
After spending some time adjusting to the new ability, he deactivated Food Sound and checked himself for side effects.
To his relief, there were no abnormalities. His body showed no signs of demonic corruption.
Apparently, the system had modified the requirements for using Blood Demon Arts. They were no longer exclusive to demons, and humans like Lucas could safely use them without undergoing any sort of transformation.
That lifted a heavy burden off his mind. Going forward, he wouldn't need to worry about losing control whenever he used Blood Demon abilities.
With the successful integration of Food Sound, Lucas found himself even more eager for his next mission.
---
At dawn the next morning, crows descended from the sky, letting out sharp cries.
"Southwest! Zhaoshan Town needs support!"
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Zenitsu's sparrow began chirping furiously.
"…What the heck are you even saying?" Zenitsu muttered, frustrated. Why could everyone else's birds speak human language while his could only chirp?
---
That night, Zhaoshan Town.
Three Ghost Swordsmen and Zenitsu stood in stunned silence.
Before them, a powerful demon they had fought for nearly two days had just been taken down in a single strike.
The demon wasn't just strong—it had incredible defense. Their Sun Blades barely left a scratch on its body.
But this newcomer…
He hadn't even unsheathed his blade completely.
They had just met Lucas and Zenitsu earlier that day. The two had introduced themselves politely, Lucas even asking the trio to "please take care of us."
Now, one of the Ghost Swordsmen turned to Zenitsu, his voice shaking.
"H-how are we supposed to take care of this guy?"
Zenitsu had no words.
He had always known Lucas was strong—but this strong?
Even three trained demon slayers couldn't handle the target, yet Lucas had ended the fight instantly.
Throughout the entire battle, Riki, the most injured of the Ghost Swordsmen, hadn't even managed to stand up before the demon was dead.
Lucas sighed as he kicked aside the corpse of the defeated demon.
"Luck won't always be on your side," he muttered.
The system popped up another message. This demon, too, had a Blood Demon Art. But the random reward this time was only "qualification."
Lucas frowned. Mediocre aptitude was no better than trash to him.
---
> [Next mission: Tokyo, Asakusa Prefecture. A demon has been spotted. Investigate immediately.]
The crow landed on Lucas's shoulder, calling out the new assignment.
Caw! Caw! Caw!
Zenitsu looked at his own sparrow and rolled his eyes again. "Seriously, can you speak like that bird?"
Giving up on understanding his own pet, Zenitsu decided to simply follow Lucas.
Lucas's eyes lit up. Asakusa Prefecture?
Wasn't that the place where Tanjiro encountered Muzan and Tamayo?
Perfect.
He had been meaning to go there anyway. Now he had a legitimate reason.
Looking up at the sky, Lucas estimated that they had about three hours left before nightfall.
"Zenitsu, let's move. We need to get there before sunset."
Lucas was determined to meet Muzan and obtain his abilities. As long as he played his cards right and didn't provoke Muzan, it should be possible to gain his trust.
His first task upon arriving in Asakusa would be to investigate Miss Li's background—figure out who she was connected to.
If he could pretend to be someone from her side, he might be able to get close to Muzan without raising suspicion.
"Lucas, why are we even here?" Zenitsu tugged at his sleeves. The traditional robes didn't fit him well, and he was growing uncomfortable.
Instead of heading into the shadows to hunt demons, Lucas had dragged them into the heart of Asakusa's bustling streets.
The noise was overwhelming. So many people, so many conversations, so much movement.
Zenitsu's sensitive hearing was overloaded, and he looked around nervously.
Why had Lucas brought them here?
He didn't know.
But Lucas did.
And soon, everyone else would too.
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