"Collecting blood?"
"Go ahead."
Yohan nodded in agreement at Tamayo's request, then casually found a spot and sat down cross-legged, completely at ease.
"…He actually agreed just like that?"
Tamayo blinked in disbelief. She had been fully prepared for negotiation—or even refusal—but to her surprise, Yohan had given her permission without hesitation. She'd spoken so cautiously, half-afraid she might trigger his wrath, especially after witnessing how decisively he had eliminated the demons. Yet now, his calm demeanor was throwing her off.
Was it confidence?
Or maybe arrogance?
He hadn't even bothered verifying her intentions—just let her do as she pleased?
She wasn't human. She was a demon. Even if she didn't eat people, her nature hadn't changed. And yet he treated her with such casual indifference?
"…Could it be that he's just that simple-minded?" she wondered to herself.
Still, she quickly pushed those scattered thoughts out of her mind and hurried toward the fallen demons.
Right now, her priority was to collect their blood before it was too late. She could worry about Yohan's motives later—there was no escaping him anyway.
With that thought, a strange sense of calm settled over her, and she rushed toward Mitsuri, hoping to stop her from decapitating the demons before the samples were collected.
Meanwhile, Yushiro didn't follow Tamayo. Instead, he stood still, his eyes locked on Yohan with unmasked wariness.
He'd seen everything. He knew all too well—this man was terrifying.
The two demons they had just fought had nearly overwhelmed both him and Tamayo. Yet in front of Yohan, they had crumbled like leaves in a storm. No—what happened was even more exaggerated than that.
Yushiro still didn't understand Yohan's true purpose. But no matter what, he had to remain alert. Even if his power was barely a candle next to this man's bonfire, he would still give his life to protect Tamayo.
Yohan didn't even spare Yushiro a glance. A mere bug with visual interference powers? In Yohan's eyes, such a threat could be ended in a single strike.
Instead, his focus was on something far more important—his system.
Yes. The system.
That was why he had insisted on facing the two demons alone earlier. As soon as the mission to assist Tamayo had triggered, a reward had been promised. And Yohan never ignored a system reward. After all, this was how he truly grew stronger.
"System, hurry up and give me my reward," he urged impatiently.
There was nothing he enjoyed more than the feeling of getting stronger.
[Ding!]
[Mission Triggered: Battle the Twin Demons (Completed)]
[Mission Reward: Thorned Halo (Available for Equipping)]
"Hmm? Thorned Halo? And it's equippable?"
Yohan's curiosity was piqued. "System, give me the full details."
The system's voice echoed clearly in his mind:
[Thorned Halo: Reflects a portion of the damage received back to the attacker. The reflection consists of a base damage amount, plus a percentage of the actual damage taken.]
[Equippable: This halo can be loaded onto the DarkKnight Shadow. Once loaded, not only will the shield itself possess the effect, but the host and selected allies within proximity to the DarkKnight Shadow will also gain the benefit.]
"Oh? So it's basically like wearing a damage-reflecting armor," Yohan grinned.
This was good—very good.
"System, load it onto DarkNight Shadow."
[Equipping… Success.]
The surface of the DarkNight Shadow, his signature shield, now shimmered faintly. Faint, illusory barbs coiled across its surface—just looking at it made it seem painful to hit.
Perfect. Now his fights were going to be even more satisfying.
There was a reason he chose to embed the Thorned Halo into his shield. DarkNight Shadow already had the rare trait of being indestructible. Now, with a built-in damage reflection effect, it was more than just a defensive tool—it became an offensive weapon.
If anyone dared strike his shield, not only would they fail to harm him, they'd be hurting themselves in the process.
And since the halo's effects extended to others, by equipping it on his shield, he himself also benefited from the aura. Next time he punched someone? It wouldn't just be raw power—it would be power plus reflected damage. After all, even fists took damage when hitting tough flesh, right?
It takes two hands to clap, after all.
As for sharing the Thorned Halo's effect with others—Yohan didn't really care. If he had to share it, the only person he'd consider was Mitsuri Kanroji. She was, after all, someone he truly regarded as his own. Everyone else? Just acquaintances at best.
Nope. Not interested.
Yohan may have planned to one day eliminate the Demon King, and he had shared Iron Bodyl with the Demon Slayer Corps before, but even then, he had kept a strict boundary.
The Corps was the Corps. He was himself. They were not the same.
His own strength was what mattered most. As for spreading his resources for the greater good?
"Yeah, sorry," Yohan thought with a smirk. "I'm a selfish man at heart."
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