As Lucas walked farther and farther away, Sanemi Shinazugawa suddenly paused and called out behind him.
"I'm willing to be your friend."
That familiar, arrogant tone unmistakably belonged to the Wind Pillar. Lucas froze mid-step.
Was he hearing things?
A moment later, the system's familiar sound rang in his ears.
[Ding]
[Detected a friend request from Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa. Do you accept?]
Lucas raised an eyebrow, still half-suspecting some trick, but his curiosity got the better of him.
[Yes]
[Ding]
[Successfully added Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa as a friend!]
[Friendship Level: Initial Acquaintance — Reward being generated randomly...]
[Reward Obtained: Wind Breathing Sixth Form – Black Wind Smoke Haze (Mastered)]
[Would you like to fuse the skill now?]
[No]
Lucas slowly turned around, surprised by Shinazugawa's uncharacteristically sincere gesture.
He honestly thought the guy was trying to pull another prank—but this time, it seemed different. Genuine, even.
Why would someone like Sanemi suddenly want to be friends? Was there still some humanity left in him?
Lucas stared, suspicious. Sanemi, avoiding eye contact for a moment, seemed visibly uncomfortable by his own words. But the awkwardness didn't last long. With a dismissive snort, Sanemi leapt lightly into the dense forest of wisteria trees and vanished from sight.
Lucas remained still, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. As irritating as Sanemi's earlier tricks had been, this unexpected outcome was actually... a good thing.
He had just gained a powerful new technique—Wind Breathing: Black Wind Smoke Haze. Among the five major basic breathing styles—Thunder, Flame, Water, Wind, and Rock—Wind Breathing had demonstrated its destructive capability during their earlier battle. Its unpredictable range and chaotic force weren't any weaker than Thunder Breathing. In fact, Wind Breathing had its own strategic advantages.
Back at the Butterfly Mansion, Tanjirou and the others were already recuperating in the infirmary. Lucas quietly returned to the room Aoi had arranged for him and sat cross-legged on a mat. The events of the day replayed in his mind as he took stock of everything he'd gained.
He had fully fused with the Transparent World, although it was far from complete. The state he had accessed during combat hinted that once he fully mastered it, something truly transformational would happen. As it stood now, it was still too incomplete to unleash its full potential.
Then there was the pending reward from befriending Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Pillar—Superior Talent.
Lucas had subconsciously ignored the notification earlier, but now it caught his attention again. Something was different.
The icon for Superior Talent was glowing.
None of the other pending rewards had any such effect. Only this one radiated a faint, shimmering light around its edges.
Curious, Lucas tapped on the skill to read the system's explanation.
[Similar talents can be fused for advancement]
[Current Talent: Superior — Progress: 2/5 to advance to Supreme Talent]
Lucas's eyes lit up. Five Superior Talents could be fused to unlock a new level—Supreme Talent?
That meant befriending Mitsuri hadn't been a waste at all. Now he only needed to acquire three more Superior Talents to complete the fusion.
Although the process of randomly obtaining rewards from new friends wasn't guaranteed, there was at least no fear of getting useless abilities or wasted potential. Superior Talents were still a win.
Lucas felt a growing excitement just thinking about the possibilities.
Take Tokito Muichiro, for example—he had achieved Pillar-level strength in just two months, largely due to his innate Superior Talent. Among all the Pillars, his strength was in the upper-middle tier.
If Lucas could achieve the same level of talent—or even surpass it—his progress would skyrocket. His growth would outpace even Muichiro's.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Lucas suppressed the thrill buzzing in his chest. There was still work to be done tonight—three more breathing styles were waiting to be fused.
One by one, each would bring a new transformation, and he needed every advantage if he hoped to save Kyojuro Rengoku on the upcoming Infinity Train mission.
The first choice was obvious.
[Would you like to fuse Rock Breathing Third Form: Rock Body Skin (Mastered)?]
[Yes]
Lucas slowly exhaled and closed his eyes.
Unlike the others, this fusion would take longer and be much more physically demanding. Rock Breathing wasn't just a technique—it altered the entire body.
As his consciousness began to sink into the familiar spiritual space where fusion took place, Lucas found himself surrounded by a heavy, rocky aura. The world around him seemed textured like granite, and he couldn't even tell if he was still human.
Was he a rock now? Or merely a fragment of one?
As the fusion deepened, his breathing rhythm began to change—slower, denser, more grounded. Each inhale felt like he was drawing in solid weight, and each exhale expelled lingering tension from his body.
The rhythm affected his physical body as well.
A faint stony layer appeared across his skin, giving him the appearance of a stone statue sitting in deep meditation. His arms, legs, and spine began to thicken and strengthen, empowered by a newfound force rising within.
Then came the pain.
A searing, sharp ache shot up from deep inside his bones, as though thousands of tiny needles were burrowing into his marrow. Lucas clenched his jaw, sweat pouring down his face as he fought to remain still.
Water Breathing had fused smoothly, leaving him with a sense of tranquility. But Rock Breathing was the polar opposite. The sensation was like being trapped inside a mold, hammered repeatedly into a new shape.
After two long minutes, the pain subsided, replaced by an itchy, tingling sensation.
It felt like countless tiny stones were embedding themselves in his body, reshaping every fiber—his bones, muscles, even his blood vessels. He could feel his cells adapting to a tougher, more resilient form.
When the fusion finally ended, Lucas opened his eyes and examined his arm.
It looked noticeably thicker.
He had always had lean muscles before, but now his frame was visibly more robust. It reminded him of Gyomei Himejima—the Stone Pillar—who had trained his body to the absolute physical limit.
Lucas had undergone a dramatic transformation just from fusing one Rock Breathing form. No wonder Gyomei was so overwhelmingly powerful.
He then drew his nichirin blade and gently ran it across his forearm.
Normally, such a sharp blade would cause a shallow cut at the very least. But now? Nothing. His skin had toughened so much it resisted even the razor edge of his sword.
Satisfied, Lucas turned his attention to the next target: Flame Breathing Ultimate Art – Ninth Form: Purgatory.
Rock Breathing had already brought tremendous change.
Flame Breathing, especially in its final form, would certainly be even more intense.
[Would you like to fuse Flame Breathing Ultimate Art – Ninth Form: Purgatory?]
[Yes]
The moment he accepted, a violent surge of energy rushed through his body.
It was unlike anything he had felt before.
Heat exploded through his veins, sweeping over his limbs like wildfire. It was as if every drop of blood had caught fire and was now boiling from the inside out.
The power wasn't just flooding into him—it was clashing.
Flame Breathing's intense energy was trying to merge with the Thunder Breathing power already residing in his body. But the two were fundamentally different—lightning was explosive and instantaneous, while flame was enduring and engulfing.
This clash made the fusion more difficult than any he'd attempted before.
Lucas felt a vortex forming deep in his core—a spinning inferno of power tearing at his muscles and burning away weakness. His skin flushed with a deep red glow, as if licked by flames.
Yet strangely, it didn't hurt.
Instead, the burning brought warmth. Endurance. Power.
With each breath, Lucas felt like he was inhaling pure fire, and every exhale carried away the ash of his limitations.
As the fusion continued, he realized the true difficulty wasn't physical—it was mental.
Understanding Flame Breathing at this level required more than copying movements. It demanded conviction. Belief.
The Purgatory Form wasn't just a technique. It was Kyojuro Rengoku's spirit made manifest—his passion, his courage, his unshakable resolve.
Lucas now had to match that.
To truly master the form, he needed more than strength. He needed to become a burning flame himself.
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