章 91: Demon Slayer Mark
[Seiji's POV]
We all received the reports of the casualty and that was when we realised how truly bad the situation was. I could finally understand why Shinobu was made a Hashira so quickly.
The deaths of Demon Slayers this month alone were nearly double that of the rest of the months this year. They were found dead in their missions while some of them would just disappear completely.
There were even discoveries made of a vase made from the corpses of other demon slayers. I knew immediately whose work that was.
Not only ordinary demons but the Upper Moons were on a constant hunt for demon slayers. It seemed Muzan was thoroughly pissed at losing one of his greatest pawns.
Also, I just showed him the potential of this generation of humans so his newfound motivation to annihilate the Demon Slayer Corps was understandable.
...
I needed to do something. This was the consequence of my actions so I had to take responsibility.
"Seiji, could you give us a little detail of your fight with the Upper Moon? If other Upper Moons are truly on the move, each of us needs to be prepared to face them anytime," Ubuyashiki asked.
The topic of our discussion eventually led us to this question.
I remained silent after the question was asked. Every eye was on me, studying my reaction and waiting impatiently for an answer. Everyone was vexed due to the situation.
I contemplated how much I should share with them. They didn't need to know everything but...
I met every eye that was on me. I studied the depth of their eyes one by one and eventually, I stopped and locked eyes with Rengoku. The determination I saw in those red and yellow orbs gave me an answer.
...
Who was I kidding? I was nearly not strong enough to keep things all to myself. I was not strong enough to fight and win this war alone.
I was not alone. I had friends who were eager to share this burden with me.
"In the face of absolute power, I learned the limits of humanity," I started and my voice rang like an explosion in their hearts.
"When I fought against the Upper Moon 2, I learned how weak I truly was. To tell you the truth, the Upper Moon 2 was more than six times stronger than me. Even now, I admit that he is still stronger," I said.
No need to sugar coat it. Just let them know where we stand. So maybe then, they would have a sense of urgency and need for more power.
"If all of you were to fight against Upper Moon 2 without me, you would lose," I said and immediately, I got a reaction.
"Bullshits!!! Do you really think so highly of yourselves just because you killed one Upper Moon? Huh?! Seiji!!" Sanemi stood up and screamed at me.
He was the only one screaming but I could feel that everyone shared his words. He spoke for every Hashira present in the courtyard. I was the strongest amongst them but they were also the peak of humanity, they had their pride and well-earned confidence.
"Sanemi, please sit down and hear what your comrade has to say." Ubuyashiki quickly abolished Sanemi and he was forced to sit back down begrudgingly.
"Then tell us, Seiji, how were you able to defeat the Upper Moon?" Ubuyashiki asked after there was silence.
"Through my adaptive fighting style, and because of the new discovery I made during the fight," I answered but it only gave more questions to them.
"New discovery?"
"Yes, let me show you," I said and stood up. Under the curious eyes of everyone, I went to the side where there was free space.
I stopped, turned towards them and stood still.
...
Nothing.
...
And just when they were about to question what the fuck I was doing, they felt a sudden shift in the air. Every instincts that they have honed through countless battles and those instincts which they had since birth, all of them screamed out at the danger.
Black markings started appearing on my face and covered the area around my eyes. They were straight lines that looked like a circuit board of a computer, giving a very machine-like look.
They could feel the danger and pressure emanating from me. They did not have to experience it to know that my strength just increased exponentially.
"What. the. fuck." Sanemi gritted out.
"What is that?" Giyu exclaimed.
Tengen and Gyomei being the oldest were calm but there was a serious look in their eyes. They had never seen anything like it before.
I stopped after a few more seconds. I released a deep sigh and looked at the shocked faces of everyone.
"What you just witnessed now was..."
"The Demon Slayer mark," Ubuyashiki completed my sentence while looking at me with awe. "Incredible, you managed to awaken your mark Seiji,"
"Wait, master, you know what it is?" Gyomei was the first one to ask.
"I do," he said, "That's why I was surprised. I guess it makes sense now, how he was able to defeat a demon stronger than him,"
With that, I went back to my place in the courtyard and sat down. We could've had the meeting inside but most of us preferred to enjoy the nice atmosphere in the courtyard beneath the shade.
"Master, please tell us what that was," asked Gyomei again, his curiosity piqued because he never felt such pressure in a long time since he gained strength.
"The Demon Slayer mark. In the days of the Sengoku period, when the first breathing user appeared, many of the Samurais would awaken a demonic mark that allowed them to achieve incredible feats of strength. But as time went on and the first breath users died, the technique was not passed on, likely because no one else could achieve it. It remained as kind of a myth ever since," Ubuyashiki said.
"What? I've never heard of such a thing before," Sanemi commented.
"Indeed, this technique had not appeared in over five hundred years, so it's natural that you haven't heard about it." Ubuyashiki explained, "But the founder of breathing style said in his personal diary and I quote, 'When someone awakens the Demon Slayer mark, the people around him will begin awakening them as well as if resonating with that person,'."
"It seems in our generation, Seiji was the first one to awaken it,"
"Was that the reason why you were able to beat the Upper Moon whom you claimed to be stronger than all of us combined?" Sanemi asked.
"Yes, part of it,"
"Master, the first breath user said that after the first person awakened the Demon Slayer mark, the people around him awakened their marks as well. Does that mean we can awaken our own marks?" Giyu asked.
"Yes, that should be the case. Which is why I want to ask Seiji, what did you do to awaken your mark? Please do enlighten us," Ubuyashiki asked me.
"I don't particularly remember what I did to awaken the mark but I could describe the situation that led to it." I said, "The demon I fought, Doma had a blood demon art that allowed him to control ice. He made these ice puppets that completely surrounded me and Kanae and they started suffocating us with the freezing clouds that were like blizzards,"
"We were helpless. I put my arms around Kanae, holding her tight so that we could share our body heat but it was no use, we were about to freeze to death. At that moment, I remembered being filled with rage and hatred that completely consumed my body. My heart pounded in my chest rapidly and then my body started heating up unnaturally to fight against the cold," I said and closed my eyes to remember that feeling.
"Then unimaginable stregth filled my body. I believed my heart was beating over 200 times per minute and my body heat surpassed 40 degrees Celsius. it felt like my heart was expanding the cavity of my chest and my body was burning despite the cold,"
I opened my eyes after describing the feeling. I saw Shinobu affected by the scene I was describing since it included her sister nearly dying but the others digested my words.
"I see, so that's what happened," Tengen commented thoughtfully.
"Sounds to me like you set your heart ablaze!" Rengoku said with humor.
"I believe that each one of you will awaken the mark when the situation demands it. It's all about the determination you have." I said.
A discussion soon followed. Most of which were how they could try and awaken the Demon Slayer mark. I wanted to mention how whoever awakened it will have their lifespan cut short to 25 but I didn't.
Because first of all, that was not going to stop them from trying to awaken the mark and save everyone. Secondly, it would be hard to explain how I kew it and finally, that would make them worried about me.
In the end, I told them to not try to awaken their marks manually and instead they should allow the situation to shape them. They agreed to this since trying to get your heart beating that fast and your body temperature that high could be harmful to the body.
"If you ever encounter an Upper Moon or find some clues on them, do not engage alone. Seek help immediately, there is a reason why the Upper ranks have not been killed in over a century, these demons are superior in ever way. It is safer if we fought together," I said and everyone agreed.
Although confident in their own strength, when someone stronger than them nearly died after fighting an Upper Moon, they knew to take it seriously.
After the discussion of the Demon Slayer mark was over, we went to other topics like how to stop the lower-rank demon slayers from being killed like helpless chickens.
It was decided that no mission should be assigned to any lower rank demon slayers until things calmed down. They would be ordered to stay and protect a village and not travel around to kill demons.
That kind of mission would only be assigned to Hashiras and higher rank demon slayers - but even they would have to do it in groups.
We need to avoid the loss of manpower.
Then it was time to talk about missions and the duty of the Hashira. It was then that I raised my hand to speak up.
"I request that I am not given any assignment and I am allowed to roam around Japan and fight as I see fit," I said.
It was a tall request, but I was the golden son, the genius and the one who slayed an Upper Moon. I could request such dramatic privilege.
"Before I grant your request, can you tell me why you want such freedom?" Ubuyashiki asked.
So he was going to grant my request, nice.
"I want to hunt down the Upper Moons and there are personal things that I had to take care of, the last battle had asked me to sacrifice many things," I said.
I needed to find a way to heal Kanae's eyes and I also had to find a way to stop the effects of the Demon Slayer marks.
Not only that, I had to be serious on finding the home of the Kamado. Since I already recreated Sun Breathing, I need to copy the Hinokami Kagura to learn the forms.
I have much to do on my own.
"And not to misunderstand, I will not stop my contribution to the Demon Slayer Corps. I merely ask that I am not given orders on where I should go. Wherever I decide to go, I will kill the demons I encounter," I clarified.
"I trust you Seiji, and I will grant your request," he said.
"Thank you,"
"What can I say except your welcome," he shot back the same sentence I said before. Classy.
After that, the rest of the Hashiras were assigned missions and the territories they had to protect. It took a few more hours to coordinate ourselves all over Japan before the meeting finally came to an end.
..
..
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"Call it my curious nature, but may I ask where you will be heading to, Seiji?" Ubuyashiki asked me after the meeting was over and everyone started to leave.
I remained silent for a while before saying.
"Well, I will be letting off some of my repressed anger and finally do what I was supposed to do a long time ago," I answered.
Protecting others was cool, but it was more efficient to kill the enemies. The best defense was often the best offence
I was done reacting.
Fuck the plot and fuck the demons.
No more playing, no more waiting.
"I will be heading to Tokyo, specifically..."
"To the entertainment district,"
Let's hit them where it hurts.
It's not an eye for an eye, I said it before.
For an eye, I want everything.
..
..
[IMAGE]
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