Chapter 138: Learning Blood Demon Arts? Dragon Breath: Ninth Form!
[Joy—Anger—Sorrow—Pleasure—Hatred—Resentment—Cowardice! You marvel at Hantengu's abilities. You are observing...]
[You recall the demonic body structure of the Daki siblings. One body, two demons. You are studying...]
[Your body temperature is rising. Your blood circulation is accelerating. You are experiencing a sensation you have never felt before!]
[What is this?]
Ren suddenly exclaimed inwardly.
This sudden change in his body was completely beyond his control!
It was the first time Ren had ever encountered something like this!
"Total Concentration!"
His rapid breathing briefly calmed him down.
Ren's instincts told him that his body still belonged to him and should not be affected by any schemes his opponent might have prepared.
The next moment, a subtle change appeared on Ren's face.
He felt as though the blood inside his body were boiling.
A sudden stabbing sensation spread through his body, followed by a series of strange popping sounds, like kernels of popcorn exploding.
Ren discovered that his body seemed to have become stronger.
He had even grown taller!
What was going on?
Ren was baffled.
Then he suddenly remembered something that had happened at the Butterfly Mansion.
He had been seriously injured at the time, and Shinobu had taken care of him throughout the night.
After Ren woke up, Shinobu had told him that Sanemi had donated blood to him.
Almost instantly, Ren thought of another person.
Sanemi Shinazugawa's younger brother—
Genya Shinazugawa!
And his other identity.
A man-eater!
Genya and Sanemi possessed the same constitution. Both brothers had the ability to become man-eaters.
That made Ren strongly suspect that the blood he had received was beginning to affect him.
But Ren wasn't a member of the Shinazugawa family!
Why was he experiencing such a strange sensation?
Could the changes occurring within his body actually be related to the Shinazugawa family's constitution?
For some reason, Ren's instincts told him that this was the case.
Yes!
Just like Uzui Tengen's shinobi clan, Rengoku's family, and Muichiro Tokito's ancestor, the Tsugikuni clan—
These clans all possessed unique inherited traits.
They could include swordsmanship, physical constitution, and even talent.
The Shinazugawa family should be the same.
It was simply that the Shinazugawa family had never discovered this characteristic before Genya became a demon.
But what did any of that have to do with Ren?
At that moment, Ren remembered something else Shinobu had said.
"Come to think of it, Mr. Ren, your constitution is rather unusual."
"You lost a great deal of blood at the time, so we originally planned to give you some of Inosuke's blood."
"But strangely enough, your body showed a rejection reaction."
"Then Kanao and I tried as well, but it still didn't work. In the end, only Sanemi's blood type was compatible with you."
[...]
Ren rubbed his head.
"My constitution is special?"
Of course, Ren wasn't foolish enough to assume that he was Sanemi's long-lost older brother.
If Sanemi really were his brother, that relationship would be far too complicated...
Not far away, Zohakuten stared blankly at Ren.
Then he noticed that the sky in the distance was beginning to brighten.
A sudden urge to flee arose within him...
Meanwhile, Suma immediately noticed something was wrong and anxiously shouted,
"Dragon Hashira! The demon is running away!"
Makio shouted, "To the left, Dragon Hashira! Don't worry, I'm watching him! Don't let him get away!"
Finally, Hinatsuru drew a kunai and fired it toward Zohakuten with a bang.
Although it caused no damage, Zohakuten seemed deeply humiliated.
His gaze locked onto the three women.
"Shut up, old hag!"
[In this world, only that person can stop me and command me!]
It was worth noting that although Zohakuten had already been killed by Ren once, he was still remarkably fierce when confronted by women.
The moment Makio heard the words old hag, she exploded in anger.
"You [profanity]! What the hell did you just say, you motherless bastard?! Is all that comes out of your mouth nothing but shit?!"
Makio was so emotional that Suma and Hinatsuru nearby couldn't stop her.
But then Zohakuten laughed again.
Just as Hinatsuru thought he was about to make a move, Zohakuten suddenly said,
"You exhibitionists! Look at the way you're dressed! Have you no shame?!"
That completely ignited the fury of the three kunoichi.
All three immediately began hurling insults at him.
[You look like a child, but you're actually an old monster who's lived for hundreds of years! You must have been an orphan for hundreds of years, right?!]
[Waaaah! You evil Upper Rank demon! Even if you've become a demon, I still won't let you off!]
[All you know how to do is run your mouth! You're a demon, yet you're still concerned about how women dress! You're absolutely shameless!]
Of the three, Makio cursed the most viciously.
Naturally, this successfully enraged Zohakuten as well.
But before Zohakuten could respond, he suddenly noticed Ren pulling a tiny figure from his hand in the distance.
It looked exactly like Hantengu's original form—
Only miniature.
Zohakuten's teeth instantly clenched.
It turned out that while dodging Zohakuten's attacks and advancing forward, Ren had casually stuffed Sekido into his pocket.
What?
You're wondering where the Hatred Demon went?
Don't worry.
To Ren, it was nothing worth mentioning.
One slash was all it took to cut him down.
Zohakuten immediately felt a toothache coming on, and his anger intensified.
"You brute! Let me go!"
Ren blinked.
"Don't talk about yourself like that."
Zohakuten: "...?"
Zohakuten was beginning to lose control.
He had lived for hundreds of years, yet he still couldn't win an argument.
Back then, things had been simple.
He could simply strike his opponent once and make them shut up.
But now the roles had been reversed.
He couldn't win an argument.
He couldn't even win the fight.
It seemed that all those hundreds of years he'd lived had been completely wasted!
He couldn't even insult people as well as humans could.
Yet Ren wasn't wrong.
Zohakuten no longer posed any threat.
In Ren's eyes, wasn't he just a soft persimmon waiting to be squeezed?
But Ren wasn't in a hurry to act.
He had another objective to accomplish.
And now, he was only one step away from mastering a brand-new skill.
How could Ren possibly give up now?
The next moment, Ren once again activated the Transparent World, which had just been disconnected.
[Heart rate accelerating. Self-healing ability fully enhanced!]
[You calm yourself through Total Concentration!]
[You skillfully employ breathing techniques to maintain your body's balance!]
[You are tracing historical records!]
[You remember Hantengu's abilities. You are imitating them...]
[For some reason, a strange sensation wells up within you, as though you have touched some mysterious power...]
[The residual traces of Muzan's toxins within your body are quietly broken down through your bloodstream. Your muscle fibers thicken, large amounts of endorphins are released, and the strength within your body increases accordingly!]
[...]
You have attained enlightenment.
You have comprehended—
Dragon Breath, Ninth Form—Dragon Shadow Doppelgänger!