That night, Kanae Kocho personally delivered the space marks to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, and then quickly sent them to each Pillar via Kasugai Crows.
After that, Aoki began his frantic fighting.
On the first day, he sparred with all the Demon Slayer Corps Pillars.
But the gap between the Pillars and his strength was too great. A single fight usually yielded less than 5 experience points.
However, all the Pillars combined still provided a considerable amount of experience.
The second and third days were the same.
Aoki challenged them one by one. They couldn't refuse unless a Pillar had a genuine emergency.
...
Tengen Uzui lay on the grass. Hinatsuru massaged his muscles.
Makio and Suma argued nearby.
The sun was slowly setting. The red evening glow draped a red veil over the four.
"What a wonderful life," Tengen Uzui smiled.
Hinatsuru asked, "Master Tengen, will Mr. Aomura come today?"
Tengen Uzui immediately looked pained.
"Without a doubt, he will!"
It was called sparring, but to him, it was just getting beaten up.
Aomura was too strong!
Getting beaten up was fine for a day or two, even three or four. But constant high-intensity beatings every day? Even a Pillar couldn't handle it.
He had been sore all over for the past two days, like he was back in his ninja training days.
But there were benefits.
After a few days, he clearly felt that his strength, which he thought had reached its limit, had improved slightly.
Any past doubts were long gone.
It didn't matter if Aomura kept getting stronger. His current strength was enough to crush the Demon Slayer Corps.
If Aomura had ill intentions, the Demon Slayer Corps would have been wiped out many times over.
"Life is good!"
A voice sounded nearby. Tengen Uzui jumped up.
Behind them, a tall, black-haired, golden-eyed young man had appeared.
Makio and Suma stopped arguing and bowed with Hinatsuru. "Mr. Aomura."
"Hello!" Aoki replied politely.
Tengen Uzui was truly the winner of life in the original story.
He had achieved his wish of "killing an Upper Moon," retired contentedly, had three beautiful wives, and wasn't limited by the "twenty-five years old" restriction of the Mark.
His only loss was an arm.
Aoki looked at Tengen Uzui. "Are you ready?"
Tengen Uzui picked up his swords, looking energetic and eager. "Come on! Let's put on a flamboyant fight!"
Five minutes later, Tengen Uzui lay on the ground, groaning, covered in bruises.
Suma tugged his arm, looking pitiful. "Master Tengen, you got beaten up worse today than yesterday."
Thud!
Makio punched her head hard, shouting, "Listen to the stupid things you're saying!"
Suma cried out, holding her head.
"Sister Makio is bullying me!"
Only Hinatsuru gently helped Tengen Uzui up.
[Ended a battle, gained 3 experience.]
[Congratulations, you leveled up!]
Aoki's spirits lifted.
3 experience points, just right.
He had been worried he wouldn't have enough and would need another fight.
He thought, and the blue screen appeared.
He gained 1 skill point and 1 stat point this time.
Aoki didn't hesitate. He added the free stat point to Intelligence.
A cool sensation filled his mind. He immediately felt the pressure that had been weighing on him lessen.
There was no hesitation for the free skill point either.
A half-star class had four skills. He couldn't learn any others.
His only choice was Unyielding Will.
Aoki chose to learn it.
If increasing Intelligence was like eating ice cream on a hot summer day, cool and refreshing, then learning Unyielding Will was like a volcano suddenly appearing inside him.
Mental pressure built up, and built up.
Reaching a critical point, the volcano erupted, forcefully pushing back the pressure.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 23]
[Constitution: 22]
[Intelligence: 23]
[Agility: 22]
[Class: Hunter, Aberrant Demon, Martial Artist]
...
[Aberrant Demon]
[Quality: ★★]
[Level: lv18 (713/1800)]
[Skills: Demon Blood V, Space Traverse II, Transparent World, Devour Demon II]
[Mission: None]
[Free Skill Points: 4]
...
[Martial Artist]
[Quality: ☆]
[Level: lv5]
[Skills: Martial Heart, Combat Instinct, Body Control, Unyielding Will]
Another class had reached max level.
It had taken about half a year in total. Not bad, faster than Hunter.
Muzan had contributed greatly.
"I feel better, but I feel a surge of power that needs to be released."
Aoki's gaze turned to Tengen Uzui.
Tengen Uzui felt a chill, seeing his aggressive gaze.
"No more! We have to stop today!"
"Of course," Aoki said.
He didn't intend to take his frustration out on Tengen Uzui.
If he didn't hold back, he could kill Tengen Uzui with one punch.
He had been deliberately controlling his strength when fighting the Pillars.
23 Strength was an absolute advantage over the Pillars. Skill couldn't make up for it.
Tengen Uzui sighed in relief.
He had a mission tomorrow. Another beating, and he might not be able to get up.
"Give it to me!" Aoki held out his hand.
Tengen Uzui looked at his hand, puzzled. "What?"
"The space mark!" Aoki said.
Tengen Uzui paused. "The space mark? You mean..."
Aoki nodded. "This is the last one. The sparring ends here."
He had mastered his strength. Tengen Uzui's bruises, but no serious injuries, proved it.
Martial Artist was maxed. Mental pressure was greatly relieved. He had adapted to the space marks' interference. It was time to get serious.
"Just as I thought."
Tengen Uzui took out a wooden board, feeling a little sad.
Getting beaten up was painful, but his strength had truly improved. He hadn't expected it to end so soon.
The only comfort was that he got stronger to kill demons, and Aomura ended the sparring to kill demons, even more efficiently than him.
Different paths, but the same destination.
"When is the next round?" Tengen Uzui asked as he handed over the wooden board.
"There won't be a next round."
Aoki shook his head.
Martial Artist was maxed. His fighting skills were perfect. He no longer needed the Pillars as tools.
"No more?" Tengen Uzui felt even more regret.
"Take care, all four of you. I'm leaving."
"May your martial fortune be prosperous, Mr. Aomura!"
Aoki nodded slightly to them and vanished.
---
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