Kocho Shinobu was still stunned by the sudden change when the deep, pleasant voice spoke again, and her right hand felt empty.
Kurozawa didn't want to expose the Pitch-Black Aura's existence in front of others, which was why he borrowed Kocho Shinobu's Nichirin Blade.
After getting the Nichirin Blade, he decapitated four Demons that were trying to regenerate their bodies in the blink of an eye.
Potential Points +40, Undying Man-Eating Demon Power of Despair +3. As Kurozawa's strength increased, the Potential Points and Power of Despair gained from weaker Demons didn't decrease, but he needed more Potential Points than before to advance further.
Massacring weak creatures to quickly enhance himself still seemed to be the most effective way to obtain Potential Points available currently.
Killing ten ordinary Demons yielded similar gains to killing one Hand Demon, but the difficulty was much lower. The more advantageous choice was obvious.
Under the moonlight, four plumes of ash rose into the air.
At this moment, Kocho Shinobu recognized his identity from his appearance. Seeing the four Demons he had cleanly killed, her expression was hesitant.
"Are you Mr. Kurozawa?"
Mr. Kurozawa? Kurozawa's eye twitched.
"Yeah, can't recognize me so quickly?"
Kocho Shinobu took the Nichirin Blade Kurozawa handed back. After a moment of hesitation, she finally couldn't help but speak.
"Um... your hair is gone."
"And you've changed so much, you've gotten taller and you're all muscular."
"It's kinda ugly."
Oh no! I accidentally said what I was thinking! Kocho Shinobu quickly closed her small mouth.
Mr. Kurozawa is kinda ugly. These two sentences were like sharp swords, piercing directly into Kurozawa's chest.
Kocho Shinobu's dark nature, which would emerge when she matured, was already showing signs. Her words left absolutely no room for rebuttal.
He covered his chest, took a deep breath after a moment, and showed a bright, sunny smile.
Although this smile was a bit frightening due to his current physique and appearance.
"Little girl, is your Breathing Technique derived from Water Breathing?"
Kocho Shinobu nodded and said, "Yes, my sister and I both use our own style of Breathing Technique derived from Water Breathing."
Self-styled Breathing Techniques, all self-created and best suited for oneself. Truly a pair of genius sisters.
Kurozawa looked around, then, as if sharing a secret, leaned closer to Kocho Shinobu and said seriously, "I learned Water Breathing."
"Didn't you ask how I became like this? This has something to do with some secrets of Water Breathing."
"What?" Kocho Shinobu's interest was piqued.
"Whether it's Water Breathing or its derivative Breathing Techniques, after cultivating to a certain level, your hair will fall out, and you'll gain muscle. And you might not even be able to change back afterwards."
"You're lying!" Kocho Shinobu was still a child after all, and her face changed with fright.
Kurozawa pretended to be serious and said word by word, "As a Water Breathing swordsman who practices the orthodox Breathing Technique, I naturally know more than you. Why would I lie to you? What good would that do me?"
His voice, enhanced by Charm Stat, carried a convincing power, making Kocho Shinobu subconsciously believe Kurozawa's words.
A mere little girl, how could she contend with the mature and handsome me?
Watching the tense Kocho Shinobu whose expression kept changing, Kurozawa laughed internally.
Some shadows hidden in his heart also temporarily vanished with it.
"Be careful, you might wake up one day and find all your hair gone and your body full of muscles," Kurozawa reminded her sincerely.
"Even if I become like that, I won't stop training my Breathing Technique."
Clenching her fists tightly, Kocho Shinobu's face was full of determination.
"After we leave Mount Fujikasane, I'm going to tell my sister about this secret of Water Breathing. Her Flower Breathing is also a derivative of Water Breathing."
"With your sister's strength, she might reach this level soon," Kurozawa continued to scare her, displaying the malicious pleasure of an adult to the fullest.
In fact, after Kocho Shinobu seriously told Kocho Kanae about this, Kocho Kanae would definitely be surprised first, then helplessly tell Kocho Shinobu the truth.
As the peak of swordsmen, Pillars had a deep understanding and research into Breathing Techniques. It was impossible for them to be fooled by Kurozawa's simple words.
"Alright, see you if fate allows."
"Okay, thank you for telling me these things. You're a good person." Kocho Shinobu nodded in thanks.
Kurozawa, who was smirking internally, slipped away quickly. He didn't talk much more before parting ways with Kocho Shinobu.
Operating alone increased Kurozawa's efficiency in eliminating Demons. He could easily detect Demons lurking in the dark through his visual perception and eliminate them directly.
At the same time, he was also exploring the uses of the Pitch-Black Aura.
*Whoosh!* A hand wrapped in Pitch-Black Aura was pressed onto the chest of a bony Demon.
This Demon had many bone spikes protruding from areas like its elbows and knees as weapons, and it looked somewhat formidable.
"So painful! What is this thing!"
Looking at the Pitch-Black Aura filled with deep despair, the Bone Demon's face was full of terror.
Kurozawa didn't speak, just punched its shoulder again, causing it to collapse, sending flesh and blood flying.
"Why, why can't I recover?"
The Bone Demon fled frantically, with no thought of fighting Kurozawa.
Its body was covered in numerous indented fist prints and broken flesh, a constant stream of intense pain washing over it.
As it fled, the Bone Demon focused all its energy on recovering from its injuries, but it was horrified to discover that its usually impressive regenerative ability wasn't working. A massive sense of blockage filled its mind.
The areas damaged by Kurozawa's hands were proving incredibly difficult to heal. The flesh would writhe for a long time, only managing to sprout a tiny bit.
Kurozawa followed the Bone Demon like a shadow, falling into contemplation.
"It's like a Nichirin Blade, able to damage Demons without needing a direct decapitation."
"It can significantly suppress a Demon's recovery ability while causing intense pain, fear, despair, and other negative emotions. Just being hit by the Pitch-Black Aura once, this Demon's face filled with despair and fear, and it didn't dare to face me again. But maybe they're just too timid."
"Thinking about it this way, the Pitch-Black Aura seems like a mental attack?"
"The Demon I experimented on before, I kept attacking its torso. After the injuries accumulated to a certain degree, it turned to ash."
"Hmm, let's try fracturing the skull again. The Hand Demon instantly died after its head was crushed by me."
As Kurozawa's attention focused on the Bone Demon's head,
A sense of death instantly enveloped it, making its hair stand on end.
It fled even more fiercely.
Kurozawa instantly increased his speed, easily catching up, then pressed one hand onto the back of the Bone Demon's head.
*Strong Hand, Skull Fracture!*
Kurozawa's White Bone Claw! *Crack!*
His five fingers, carrying immense power, directly pierced the skull and delved into its brain. At the same time, Kurozawa felt a slippery, nauseating sensation.
The emaciated, heavily wounded Bone Demon trembled violently, howling and struggling desperately. Its struggle was intense at first but rapidly weakened.
After a few breaths, the Bone Demon had stopped moving.
Whoosh. Kurozawa blew a breath, and the Bone Demon was scattered into a sky full of ash, disappearing into the deep darkness of the night.
"Although the Pitch-Black Aura can cause effective damage when attacking the torso, it still requires the accumulation of many hits. A Demon's vitality is truly exceptionally tenacious."
"But destroying the brain can achieve an instant kill, annihilating their life force."
Potential Points +15, Undying Man-Eating Demon's Power of Despair +2.
As the Power of Despair increased, the thin layer of Pitch-Black Aura attached to his hands seemed to become slightly denser.
The increase was very slight, almost like an optical illusion, and Kurozawa couldn't be entirely sure.
"It shouldn't be an illusion."
"As the Power of Despair increases, this Pitch-Black Aura is likely to become thicker, perhaps even covering my entire body to form armor, after all, it originates from the Power of Despair."
Withdrawing the Pitch-Black Aura from his hands, a smile appeared on Kurozawa's face.
"It seems I won't need Nichirin Gauntlets."
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