Sanemi Shinazugawa didn't say a word. He simply reached up and touched the faint mark on his chin.
It was from earlier—left behind when Lucas's aura had suddenly surged.
Technically, it wasn't even a wound. Just a red line, like the faint sting of a whip. But Sanemi understood its meaning clearly.
If Lucas had used his spider silk to attack seriously at that moment... would he have survived?
Sanemi quietly asked himself.
He wasn't arrogant enough to say no damage would've been done. With his battle instincts, perhaps he could've reacted in time—but avoiding serious bleeding? Highly unlikely.
A deep frown formed on Sanemi's face as he looked at Lucas again.
At first, he'd believed their battle had escalated because he hadn't taken it seriously enough.
But now he realized something far more frustrating: Lucas hadn't even used his full strength.
"I can extract Blood Demon Art from a demon's blood," Lucas explained to Kagaya Ubuyashiki after demonstrating the spider silk. "There's a certain chance of failure in the process. This particular Blood Demon Art—spider silk—was extracted from Lower Moon Five."
As he spoke, Lucas withdrew the threads back into his hand.
The truth, of course, was far more complicated.
The Friend System—the cheat that had propelled Lucas forward—was something he couldn't expose. So he had to fabricate a more believable explanation for his use of Blood Demon Art.
Saying he could extract it from demons' blood served multiple purposes: it provided a cover story and also gave Tamayo a potential excuse to accelerate her own blood studies.
"Extracting Blood Demon Art from blood…" Kagaya muttered thoughtfully.
It sounded far-fetched, but not entirely impossible. After all, Sanemi's younger brother, Genya, had also developed strange powers through devouring demons.
Lucas, perhaps, possessed some unique constitution, like Genya.
Kagaya didn't ask for more details. His relationship with Lucas wasn't yet close enough to press for answers. Asking too much would only push the boy away.
"You can extract Blood Demon Art?" Shinobu Kochou asked, casting a glance toward Tanjiro.
She remembered something now—when they'd rescued Tanjiro, he had used a strange device to collect blood from a dead spider demon. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it.
But now... was that for Lucas?
Lucas remained unaware that Shinobu had already connected the dots in her mind. At this point, she had basically imagined the entire blood extraction process from beginning to end.
Kagaya smiled softly.
"Thank you for your explanation, Mr. Lucas. I'm truly glad to have you as part of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Then he turned to his aides. "Take Tanjiro and Mr. Lucas to get medical treatment."
Shinobu stepped forward with a playful glint in her eye. "Then I'll be in charge of looking after Kamado and Lucas. I'll take them to the Butterfly Mansion."
Kagaya nodded, signaling approval.
Lucas gave a respectful bow to the head of the Corps before departing.
So far, everything had gone smoothly.
All that remained was for Kagaya to conclude the Pillar Meeting, at which point Lucas could finally add his target Pillars as friends. Once that was done, his objective for the meeting would be complete.
Lucas picked up Nezuko's box, and two other swordsmen helped Tanjiro as they all made their way to the Butterfly Mansion.
Nestled within a forest not far from the Ubuyashiki estate, the Butterfly Mansion offered a peaceful atmosphere. The moment Lucas stepped inside, the crisp air and light floral scent seemed to wash away the tension from his body.
His wounds from the fight with Sanemi weren't that serious. The bigger problem was pure exhaustion. Without the continuous boost from Total Concentration Breathing: Constant, he probably would've collapsed right after using Transparent World.
After ensuring Nezuko was safely settled, Lucas and Tanjiro went to the room where Zenitsu and Inosuke were recovering.
Because Lucas had joined the Spider Mountain battle earlier than in the original timeline, Zenitsu and Inosuke hadn't been too badly injured.
Zenitsu had only suffered minor cuts and bruises, while Inosuke had a dislocated arm.
"Do I really have to drink this medicine? It's so bitter!" Zenitsu whined, staring at the steaming herbal concoction like it was poison.
"You've asked that question eleven times already…" the doctor muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration.
The boy with the boar's head had downed the medicine in one gulp, yet this blonde one was acting like it would kill him.
"Zenitsu?" Lucas called as he walked into the room.
Zenitsu's eyes lit up.
"Lucas?! Thank goodness! Come here, quick! I don't want to drink this. My injuries aren't even that bad. Please, help me talk them out of this!"
He looked pitiful, practically clutching Lucas's shirt.
Lucas gave a faint smile.
"I'll handle it," he said, taking the bowl of medicine from the exasperated doctor. Then he sat down beside Zenitsu.
"Lucas, I really don't want to drink this. It's bitter!" Zenitsu groaned.
"How did you beat that demon on Spider Mountain?" Lucas asked casually.
"Oh! I nearly forgot to tell you!" Zenitsu perked up immediately. "I discovered a new application of the First Form of Thunder Breathing! I can now change the trajectory of my—"
"Drink the medicine first, then talk."
Lucas held the bowl to Zenitsu's mouth, expression neutral.
Zenitsu stared at the bowl, then at Lucas. This trick again?
Lucas had done this to him before. If Zenitsu didn't drink the medicine, Lucas wouldn't let him talk. It was so childish. And yet... it always worked.
Grimacing, Zenitsu pinched his nose and gulped it down in one go, his face contorted in agony.
"Okay, now where was I?" he continued dramatically. "I used Thunderclap and Flash to land a hit on the spider demon, but right before I struck—"
As Zenitsu talked, Lucas moved to another bed, reclining while listening. Zenitsu's story was long-winded as always, but one key part stood out.
He had mastered Thunderclap and Flash Sixfold, a variation of the original First Form.
This proved that Zenitsu's proficiency with Thunder Breathing was rapidly nearing mastery. Lucas took mental notes—he'd had his own ideas for modifying Thunderclap and Flash, but Zenitsu's explanation helped clarify a few things he'd struggled with.
He opened his system panel.
---
[Host: Lucas]
[Race: Human]
[Realm: Achieved]
[Comprehension: Superior]
[Aptitude: Superior]
[Talents: Echoing Ears, Slit Line, Concealment]
[Skills:]
Bandaging (Proficient)
Thunder Breathing First Form: Thunderclap and Flash (Proficient)
Thunderclap and Flash Sixfold
Second Form: Rice Spirit (Mastery)
Third Form: Thunder Swarm (Mastery)
Fourth Form: Distant Thunder (Mastery)
Fifth Form: Heat Lightning (Mastery)
Sixth Form: Electric Roar and Thunderclap (Mastery)
Water Breathing First Form: Water Surface Slash (Proficient)
Beast Breathing Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness (Proficient)
Blood Demon Art: Sound Eating (Proficient)
Blood Demon Art: Scarlet Purity Arrow (Proficient)
Blood Demon Art: Visual Dream Fragrance (Proficient)
Blood Demon Art: Engraved Line Rotation (Mastery)
Blood Demon Art: Dissolving Cocoon (Proficient)
Transparent World (Fragment)
[Aura: Ghost King's Aura]
---
Lucas noticed the label Thunderclap and Flash Sixfold becoming increasingly solid on his panel.
He grinned slightly.
Thunderclap and Flash Sixfold didn't have its own "proficiency" level—it was simply a high-level variant of the original form. The stronger his base technique, the stronger Sixfold would become.
Now that his comprehension and aptitude had reached "Superior," mastering the First Form was only a matter of time.
And once that was done, he could move on to Eightfold… then Tenfold.
He closed his eyes and began to rest.
The Pillar Meeting likely still had half an hour left. That gave him just enough time to recover his stamina before he added friends through the system.
These weren't just any friends—they were Pillar-level friends.
Even though Lucas had fought Sanemi to a standstill earlier, he knew the truth.
Sanemi had probably only used 30% of his full strength.
Excluding the 30 seconds when Lucas used Transparent World to suppress him, Sanemi had been holding back for most of the fight.
At first, Sanemi hadn't taken Lucas seriously. Then, later in the battle, he hadn't even bothered using other Breathing Forms.
If Sanemi had gone all out from the start, Lucas wasn't sure he would've even had the chance to activate Transparent World.
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