What does it feel like to activate the Mark?
Lexon couldn't quite explain it.
But it was certain that it greatly enhanced his physical abilities.
Lexon felt that his current self, after activating the Mark, was even a little stronger than his demonized state when he had last encountered Muzan.
The power contained within his body would not lie.
"Hoo..."
A long breath was drawn out, guided by the circulation of his breathing technique.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire."
Flames gradually escaped from the corners of his mouth.
His Nichirin Sword was slightly raised. The next moment, Lexon's figure vanished from the spot, leaving only a series of still-burning flames in his path.
Lexon's figure and Akaza's attacking figure faintly intersected.
Then, Akaza's rapidly flying body seemed to lose its balance, smashing violently into the place where Lexon had originally been standing, kicking up a cloud of gray smoke.
After the smoke dissipated, Akaza's slightly terrified face was revealed.
His pupils contracted and dilated violently, and his hands were clamped tightly around his own neck.
On his neck, shockingly, flames were burning.
And only a little bit of the flesh connecting his neck remained. It was clear that he had just been struck by the Nichirin Sword, and his head had been a hair's breadth away from being cut off.
'I almost died...'
Akaza looked with terror at the figure standing on the eaves, his Nichirin Sword hanging low, calmly watching him.
"Oh? Lord Akaza almost died?" The smiling Doma couldn't help but put away his smile when he saw this scene.
The Upper Rank demons below the top three also looked with astonishment at the figure with the lowered Nichirin Sword.
That speed just now was absurdly fast. They couldn't see his moving figure, nor did they see the motion of his sword swing.
They couldn't help but imagine the scene if that slash had been aimed at them.
'I would have died, right?'
They thought.
'Why is his speed so much faster than before?'
Staring at Lexon, a confused thought appeared in Akaza's mind.
He tried to observe the other's fighting spirit, but suddenly found that his vision had been completely filled by the other's dense, pale-white fighting spirit, leaving not a single gap. He couldn't even see properly.
'How is this so much more exaggerated than the overwhelming fighting spirit from before!!!'
'Technique Deployment, Destructive Death: Compass Needle!'
Akaza recited in his heart.
A twelve-pointed snowflake formation appeared again.
The next moment, Akaza felt that the Compass Needle under his feet had lost its effect, because the entire surrounding space was filled with the other's dense fighting spirit.
The Compass Needle was constantly giving warnings, constantly transmitting danger signals. His attacks and evasions would be randomly deflected, which would instead affect his own fighting.
The core of Akaza's Blood Demon Art had been broken just like that.
He had no choice but to retract the Compass Needle technique.
"The Mark," on the corridor, Kokushibo couldn't help but say calmly upon seeing the strange markings that had appeared on Lexon's face.
"The Mark?" Only then did the various Upper Rank demons notice the sudden change on Lexon.
Pale-white markings extended from his face to his neck...
This was the first time they had heard of the Mark, and they had never seen such a thing on the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen they had killed in the past, even if the swordsmen they killed were Hashira.
'Hmm?'
'Why does it feel a little familiar?'
As they looked, the various Upper Rank demons felt that the markings were somewhat familiar.
Suddenly, the various Upper Rank demons turned their heads to look at the Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.
And then they saw the red markings on his left forehead and from his right lower jaw to his neck.
"Lord Kokushibo, are they like the ones on your face?" Doma asked Kokushibo.
Kokushibo glanced at him and replied, "Yes. Only swordsmen who use breathing techniques can open it. But humans who open the Mark will basically die before the age of twenty-five, because opening the Mark is like borrowing life from the heavens, overdrawing everything."
"Kokushibo, you go," Muzan's cold voice came.
He had no interest in the Mark. He only wanted the answer from the other's mouth, or to eat him.
"Alright," Kokushibo nodded in response.
He was very particular about the hierarchy and would fully obey the commands of his superiors. So he drew the sword at his waist against Lexon.
This sword was named "Kyokoku Kamusari," a demonic blade that Kokushibo had forged from his own flesh and blood.
The blade, hilt, and grip were all covered with blood-red eyes.
When this sword was swung by Kokushibo, it would produce countless crescent moon blades. The size and length of these blades would change from time to time, with no fixed form, making them impossible to guard against. One would be cut before they even realized it.
If the sword was damaged, it could instantly "regrow" to its original form. And as he released his power, it would evolve into a longer, misshapen blade with forked branches.
It was an extremely powerful weapon.
'Is Kokushibo going to make a move?'
Seeing Kokushibo draw "Kyokoku Kamusari," the expression on Lexon's face also became a little more serious.
The other's strength was immense; this was beyond doubt.
A demon who was transformed from a swordsman who had opened the Mark and used the original breath, and had even reached the supreme state of the Transparent World.
So Lexon could not afford to not take this guy seriously.
After all, Lexon was not absolutely confident that he could completely defeat Kokushibo with his current marked state.
'But whether I can completely win or not, let's put that aside...'
'Before that, let's clear out some of the small fry first...'
Lexon suddenly thought.
The next moment, his Mist Breathing technique suddenly circulated.
On the blade of Lexon's azure Nichirin Sword, an extremely dense white mist suddenly bloomed.
It spread out at an incomparably fast speed.
It enveloped the entire surrounding area in white mist.
The moment he saw the mist emanating from the other's sword blade, Muzan Kibutsuji frowned and immediately pulled Nakime to his side, to prevent her from being killed directly by Lexon, which would cause the Infinity Castle to collapse. Although he didn't think that Lexon necessarily knew that the Infinity Castle was supported by Nakime.
The white mist spread, and as they were enveloped by it, a bad premonition arose in the heart of every Upper Rank demon.
Especially Gyokko. As the first test subject of Lexon's Mist Breathing, that memory, which was unbearable for a demon to recall, surfaced, and his heart naturally trembled with fear.
His venomous gaze, which had been fixed on Lexon, couldn't help but be retracted as he vigilantly watched for the blade that could appear from the dense fog at any moment.
'With so many demons here, he probably won't come for...'
"Mist Breathing, First Form: Clearing Mist."
Gyokko suddenly heard an indifferent voice coming from the white mist beside him.
A look of terror appeared on his face.
But Lexon would not stop his swung Nichirin Sword because of this.
The deep, azure blade silently sliced across Gyokko's neck.
The scales on his neck were cut open like paper, and his expression was forever frozen in terror.
'Why me...'
This was Gyokko's last thought.
"Twang."
A clear sound of a biwa rang out.
Under Nakime's Blood Demon Art, all the living beings present were transferred to another location in the Infinity Castle.
This prevented Lexon's dense fog from continuing to envelop the demons.
After all, even when Lexon released a dense fog, it was impossible for it to be enough to cover the entire Infinity Castle.
So all Nakime had to do was to transport everyone present to another place, and the dense fog, without Lexon's power to support it, would gradually dissipate.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]