Night soon fell.
By this time, Riezel had returned to his house and was sitting on the veranda, flipping through the old book containing records about Yoriichi Type Zero.
Surprisingly, the contents of this old book were extensive, thick with text and illustrations. Even Riezel couldn't finish reading all of it at once. Hence, he brought the book back with him and promised Kotetsu that once he finished reading it, he would help repair Yoriichi Type Zero.
Truthfully, the task wasn't difficult.
Once Riezel noted down the blueprint of Yoriichi Type Zero, he could directly use structure system magic to manufacture a new Yoriichi Type Zero.
Providing an old model with new components was a piece of cake then.
After confirming the internal mechanisms and positions of all the parts within Yoriichi Type Zero, Riezel could easily replace all the internal parts with new ones using his magic. A simple repair of its exterior would then revive this combat mechanical doll, restoring it to its former glory.
By the way, it seemed that Tanjirou still wanted to confront Yoriichi Type Zero. When Riezel planned to return home, he appeared to still be battling it.
Although Tanjirou briefly regained ground using Flame Breathing, he was still far from reaching the strength of a Hashira even with Sun Breathing, let alone the weaker Flame Breathing.
As a result, Tanjirou lost to Yoriichi Type Zero again and again, even having a chunk of his hair sliced off by it. Apparently, this infuriated him, causing his stubborn nature to flare up, and he vowed not to rest until he defeated it.
Of course, Kotetsu vehemently opposed this.
"Yoriichi Type Zero is almost broken, and you still want to fight it?! No way!"
After saying that, Kotetsu hurriedly took Yoriichi Type Zero back home.
However, Tanjirou's stubbornness refused to yield.
"Let me fight it one more time! Just once more! After this, I won't fight it anymore! I promise!"
In the end, as Tanjirou strongly insisted, he ended up following Kotetsu.
Knowing Tanjirou's temperament, he might very well still be dining with Kotetsu at this moment.
Riezel paid them no mind, focusing solely on bringing the old book back and diligently studying it. Whether or not he understood the contents, he meticulously remembered everything.
"Good, the blueprint is in this book."
At the end of the book, Riezel finally found the blueprint for Yoriichi Type Zero.
Surprisingly, this blueprint not only included illustrations but also detailed textual explanations. It meticulously described Yoriichi Type Zero's design principles, operational theories, and even set out one hundred and eight motion patterns for it.
From this, it was evident that Kotetsu's ancestor had devoted considerable care to Yoriichi Type Zero and sincerely hoped that his descendants could inherit his knowledge and ideals, thus advancing the art of mechanical doll crafting.
On the last page, it appeared that Kotetsu's ancestor had left behind a message.
—Without a doubt, the birth of Yoriichi Type Zero was a miracle, but its prototype, the swordsman revered as a god by everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps, was an even more incredible miracle. It makes one wonder involuntarily why such a character was born as a human and not as a god.
—Yoriichi Type Zero is undoubtedly the strongest and most outstanding mechanical doll in the world. However, it ultimately failed to fully replicate that swordsman's power. For someone like me who is determined to reproduce that swordsman's power in a mechanical doll, it can only be considered an unfinished product.
—Unfortunately, I no longer have time to continue researching and improving. I hope that future generations inheriting my knowledge will continuously refine this knowledge, allowing that swordsman's swordsmanship to reappear in this world.
From this message, Riezel could discern the writer's sighs, pride, and regrets.
'Recreating Tsugikuni Yoriichi's power with a mechanical doll?'
Riezel muttered inwardly, then chuckled.
'If it could really be done, the value of this legacy would probably increase by more than a thousandfold.'
As midnight approached, Riezel closed the old book he had been poring over.
He had completely memorized the contents of the book, whether it was the illustrations or the blueprint for Yoriichi Type Zero.
If Kotetsu found out about this, he would surely be astonished, wouldn't he?
Even an ordinary person couldn't finish reading through such a thick book in just a day, let alone memorize it. Yet, Riezel not only read it but also memorized it effortlessly in less than a day, almost inhuman.
It was thanks to his exceptional memory that he could effortlessly recall the entire contents of the book.
Now, when Riezel closed his eyes and thought back, the blueprint for Yoriichi Type Zero would appear before him, displaying every part and component on its surface and inside. As he deepened his comprehension of the blueprint, he carefully confirmed the positions, structures, and materials of each part, one after another.
After a while, Riezel extended his hand.
*Shing—*
Suddenly, a burst of light radiated in front of his palm.
It was a glow formed from magical energy.
Before long, the light transformed into a magic circle, flew out from his palm, and hovered above the ground like a scanner, moving upward.
As the magic circle pulsated, a mechanical doll slowly materialized and eventually took shape.
"It's done..."
Riezel opened his eyes and looked at the mechanical doll before him with a smile. What he saw was a mechanical doll that was truly identical to Yoriichi Type Zero.
He was certain that this mechanical doll was identical to Yoriichi Type Zero, both internally and externally.
The only difference was probably that it didn't need a key to activate.
Yoriichi Type Zero was activated with a single key and could change its combat mode based on the opponent's combat style by twisting its finger joints, thus being regarded as a combat training mechanical doll.
However, he felt that if every doll had to be activated with a key and needed a special method to adjust its action, it would be too troublesome.
For this reason, he removed these two functions.
Now, after removing them, how should the mechanical doll be activated, and how should its combat mode be adjusted to fit the situation?
It was simple.
"Contract."
Riezel extended his hand once more and pressed it against the mechanical doll's forehead, chanting a contract magic.
Indeed.
He formed a contract with the mechanical doll before him.
It wasn't an attendant contract, nor was it a slavery contract; it was a summoning and employing contract.
On the Akasha Continent, contract magic wasn't limited to just attendant and slavery contracts.
For instance, the contract magic Riezel was using now was commonly employed by control system magicians.
Control system magic referred to any magic capable of controlling and dominating external entities or concepts, including but not limited to summoning magic. Control system magicians proficient in summoning magic often used it to summon monsters or dolls and control them for combat purposes.
The summoning and employing contract was precisely the type of magic control system magicians used to control monsters or dolls. By imprinting contract marks on monsters or dolls, control system magicians could summon and employ these entities for combat purposes.
At this moment, Riezel was doing the same.
Once he imprinted the contract mark on the mechanical doll's forehead, Riezel withdrew his hand.
When one looked at the mechanical doll, a pattern resembling a magic circle was inscribed on its forehead.
"Come."
Riezel stepped back two paces and commanded the mechanical doll.
*Ka-Ka!*
Suddenly, the mechanical doll moved, obediently walking toward Riezel as ordered.
"Stop."
As Riezel issued another command, the mechanical doll immediately halted its steps.
"Turn left."
As Riezel gave a new instruction, the mechanical doll turned to the left without hesitation.
"Turn right."
"Move forward."
"Move backward."
"Stay in place."
When Riezel gave one command after another, the mechanical doll complied with all of them perfectly.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Riezel's face.
'Isn't this much more flexible than Yoriichi Type Zero?'
Obviously.
Yoriichi Type Zero not only required a key to start but, once activated, it entered a pre-set combat mode and operated according to that mode—rigid and without flexibility.
If one didn't adjust the finger positions to change Yoriichi Type Zero's actions, it might even repeat its movements after completing the pre-set actions. As a result, anyone who had fought against it could gradually predict its movement trajectory and action patterns, provided they could persevere.
In the original work, Muichirou could eventually defeat Yoriichi Type Zero, possibly because of this reason.
However, this problem had been solved now.
The newly made mechanical doll no longer operated with a key and predetermined movements but was directly manipulated by its creator, Riezel, through contract magic.
With just a command from him, the mechanical doll could move and engage in combat accordingly.
'If I were to personally control this mechanical doll in battle, its combat effectiveness would probably increase significantly.'
Riezel circled around the mechanical doll while contemplating.
'Now that I think about it, maybe the parts and components on this mechanical doll could be replaced...'
Riezel intended to upgrade the materials on the mechanical doll's body, using metals with similar weight and properties.
Originally, the materials used for the mechanical doll were generally wood, with only the internal parts being metallic. If all these materials were improved, its performance would definitely increase.
As for which metal to use, Riezel needed to conduct thorough testing. Otherwise, if changing the weight or structure of the mechanical doll made its operation difficult and caused its performance to decrease rather than increase, it would be unfortunate.
'Well, there's still time, let's try it out slowly.'
At this moment, Riezel was like a child with a new toy, ready to thoroughly enjoy it—his smile never faded.
And so, the night passed in this manner.
===
The next day, early in the morning.
Riezel, still on the veranda of his house, looked as though he hadn't slept all night.
It was not without reason.
At this moment, he gazed at the figure before him and exhaled deeply.
"Finally done..."
A brand-new mechanical doll stood before Riezel.
Support and read advanced chapters at:
pat*reon.com/VALRRR
In the deep woods, a clearing awaited.
As the day broke, this once deserted clearing, where no one dared to tread, now welcomed an unexpected visitor who had caused quite a stir here just yesterday.
*Ka-Ka!*
Under Kotetsu's control, Yoriichi Type Zero slowly entered the clearing and stood motionless, resembling a samurai awaiting orders from their lord.
Tanjirou and Kotetsu arrived early and were waiting for Riezel's arrival.
"He hasn't come yet?"
Kotetsu impatiently scanned the other end of the forest path, eagerly anticipating Riezel's arrival.
"He might not be here so soon."
Ready for combat with his sword in hand, Tanjirou answered, but upon seeing Kotetsu's impatience, he added.
"Morning is when Big Brother and the Hashira train. Perhaps he'll come after their training, which is in the afternoon."
"Afternoon..." Kotetsu couldn't hide his disappointment. "Do we really have to wait that long?"
Before Tanjirou could respond, he suddenly sniffed the air curiously, his nose twitching slightly.
"It seems Big Brother is here..."
Tanjirou remarked as his nose caught Riezel's scent.
"Really?" Kotetsu's spirits immediately lifted.
Before long, they saw Riezel slowly approaching from the end of the path.
Indeed, he had arrived as Tanjirou said.
Surprisingly, before beginning his training session with the Hashira, Riezel had made his way here first.
However, he wasn't alone.
A figure followed closely behind him, resembling a subordinate.
Upon seeing this figure, both Tanjirou and Kotetsu exchanged surprised looks.
"Yoriichi Type Zero?!" Kotetsu exclaimed in shock.
"Mr. Tsugikuni..." Tanjirou murmured, staring in disbelief at the figure.
Of course, Tanjirou wasn't addressing Riezel but rather the swordsman who shared a deep connection with his ancestors and left behind Sun Breathing and the hanafuda earrings to his family, the actual Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Standing behind Riezel, the figure resembled Yoriichi Type Zero but lacked the mechanical appearance, appearing more akin to a living human—a swordsman with a gentle demeanor.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Riezel greeted Tanjirou and Kotetsu with a wide grin.
Although he seemed to be in a good mood, neither Tanjirou nor Kotetsu noticed, their attention wholly captivated by the figure that stopped beside him.
"Wh-What's going on?"
Kotetsu was utterly confused.
"Big Brother?"
Tanjirou looked at Riezel, then glanced at the figure by his side, which closely resembled Yoriichi Type Zero, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Let me introduce it to you. Its name is 'Yoriichi Type One'."
Riezel explained to Tanjirou and Kotetsu, who looked puzzled.
"Since the first-generation model is called Type Zero, I named this one 'Type One'. How is it? Not too bad, right?"
How could Tanjirou and Kotetsu not understand what he meant?
"Is it also a mechanical doll?" Tanjirou's face showed even more astonishment.
"No fucking way!" Kotetsu jumped up in shock.
His shock was understandable.
"You made a mechanical doll?! Did you make another Yoriichi Type Zero?! No way!" Kotetsu shouted repeatedly. "Even if you figured out my ancestor's creation methods, making another Yoriichi Type Zero overnight is impossible!"
Shortly afterward, he leaped directly toward Type One and began feeling around its body. As he touched it here and there, he discovered that Type One was quite different from Type Zero.
Firstly, its outer shell material was clearly different from Type Zero's wooden feel; it was more like steel—cold and hard.
Secondly, Type One didn't have six arms and six swords like Type Zero; it only had two hands and a pair of swords.
Thirdly, the humanoid appearance of Type One was also highly realistic, at first glance appearing completely humanlike, unlike Type Zero, where the lines and joints of the doll were visible on its face and joints.
In light of this, the appearance of Type One was identical to Yoriichi as seen by Riezel in his dream, except that Yoriichi only had one sword, while Type One had two swords.
Due to improvements in materials and performance by Riezel, Type One didn't need six arms and six swords like Type Zero to reproduce Yoriichi's swordsmanship, only two swords were enough.
As a result, compared to Type Zero, although Type One had improved performance, its combat power didn't increase much. It only went from barely entering Level 4 to roughly equivalent to the middle Level 4.
In terms of combat power, it was already on par with powerful Hashira like Kyoujurou, Sanemi, Tengen, Obanai, and Giyuu before using the Demon Slayer Mark, but it still fell short compared to the Upper Ranks.
However, the change in materials, by using metal inside and out, significantly increased its defensive power and resistance to attacks by an entire level.
In other words, Type One, born from Riezel's hands and modifications, had combat power equivalent to Level 4 while being specialized in 'END'.
In terms of END alone, Type One could match Level 5; even ordinary Level 4 opponents wouldn't leave a scratch on its surface.
In fact, such beings also existed in the dungeon of Danmachi.
It was the floor boss of the 17th Floor, a supersized monster, Goliath.
Goliath was classified as a Level 4 monster specializing in END. Its skin was so tough that it couldn't be broken without at least the attack from a Level 5 first-class adventurer or equipment of second class or higher.
Type One belonged to the same category as Goliath, just with a smaller size. Yet, despite being smaller, Type One was much faster and more agile than Goliath, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
It was the mechanical doll that Riezel himself created, based on Type Zero with some improvements.
"It can't be... It can't be..."
Kotetsu felt as if his worldview was shattering.
He couldn't believe that the most outstanding mechanical doll invented by his ancestor, crafted with a lifetime's effort, had not only been created overnight by someone else but also improved to be stronger.
For him, this wasn't something easy to accept!
"For you."
Riezel handed the old book back to Kotetsu.
"It has been very helpful to me. Thanks a lot."
"..."
Kotetsu looked bewildered at the book Riezel handed him.
After a moment of silence, Kotetsu reached out and took it.
"Can this also be used for training, Big Brother?"
On the other hand, since Tanjirou didn't have the same complex feelings as Kotetsu, upon knowing that Riezel had created another mechanical doll, he only felt excitement. He looked at Type One, which resembled a human samurai in appearance, feeling eager to try it out.
"Not just for training, but it can also be put into battle to fight demons." Riezel said calmly. "Don't worry, I'll fix Type Zero first."
Upon hearing this, Kotetsu regained his spirits.
"Can you fix it?" Kotetsu hurriedly asked.
"No problem." Riezel smiled at him. "I can even upgrade it if needed."
Since Riezel could use his magic to create Type One with higher performance than Type Zero, he naturally could use his magic to upgrade Type Zero to have the same performance as Type One.
"N-No need..." Kotetsu shook his head. "Just fixing it will be enough."
He was actually a bit afraid that Type Zero would be transformed by Riezel into something completely unrecognizable. After all, it was an heirloom left by his ancestor, the masterpiece of his family.
For this reason, rather than treating Type Zero as a combat mechanical doll, he actually saw it as a spiritual support and a symbol of his family.
It would have been fine if only minor improvements were made, but Riezel's modification was almost like creating a new and different mechanical doll, which frightened him.
As a result, he declined Riezel's offer.
"Okay." Riezel shrugged casually. "Just fix it directly then."
"What do you need me to do?" Kotetsu asked eagerly. "I have tools at home and a workshop. If you need anything, you can come over."
"No, none of those are necessary." Riezel shook his head. "We'll do it right here directly. Just wait for me."
With that, he walked over to the center of the clearing and approached Type Zero.
At the same time, Type One immediately followed him like an emotionless personal attendant.
It was yet another thing that shattered Kotetsu's worldview.
No choice.
A mechanical doll was, after all, just a doll—without the necessary controls, it wouldn't move at all.
However, Type One was clearly different.
It didn't need Riezel to control it, nor did it require any buttons or switches on its body. If he stopped, it stopped, if he walked, it walked—it was almost like it had a mind of its own.
'So this is the mechanical doll created by the master of the divine sword...?'
Kotetsu began to understand why the swordsmiths in the village, usually so full of themselves, had been so ecstatic upon seeing Riezel's sword.
Surely that sword was just like Type One, a creation that surpassed any human understanding or imagination.
With their skills, those swordsmiths could never have imagined why such a sword could exist in this world and must have seen it as a divine creation, a divine sword.
Now Kotetsu felt the same way.
He could hardly imagine why a mechanical doll like Type One could exist in this world, almost thinking Riezel had created life itself.
Unaware of Kotetsu's thoughts, Riezel observed Type Zero for a moment, then suddenly used the Transparent World.
'As expected, it's in here...'
Having confirmed something, Riezel reached out and grabbed Type Zero's head, giving it a firm twist.
*Snap!*
With a crisp sound, Type Zero's head was twisted off.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!"
Seeing this scene, Kotetsu touched his two cheeks and let out a scream of sheer terror.
Riezel extended his hand again, this time reaching into Type Zero's neck and through its body.
Before long, he pulled a sword out from inside Type Zero.
Support and read advanced chapters at:
pat*reon.com/VALRRR
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT