Chapter 186: Overconfident

Chapter 186: Overconfident

Not only Sanemi, Obanai, and Muichirou, but the other Hashira also had awakened the Demon Slayer Mark.

Shinobu's Mark was located above her collarbone, with patterns resembling an azure butterfly.

Mitsuri's Mark was on her left neck, with patterns resembling two mirroring hearts with wings.

Gyoumei's Mark was on both of his arms, with patterns resembling gray-black fissures.

Tengen's Mark was on his shoulder, with patterns resembling golden musical notes.

Even the always-alone Giyuu awakened his Mark on his left cheek, with patterns resembling streams of water.

As for Kyoujurou, his Mark was just like Riezel's, located on his forehead, with patterns resembling deep red flames.

At this moment, all the Hashira had successfully awakened the Demon Slayer Mark and felt ecstatic as they tested their newfound power.

"Amazing, it really makes you stronger..."

Shinobu's expression was filled with astonishment as she spoke.

Among the nine Hashira, her strength had always been the weakest, even compared to most members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

No choice.

She was petite, standing at only 151 CM tall and weighing a mere 37 KG. At just eighteen, she was one of the youngest Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, second only to Muichirou.

Moreover, being a girl and lacking the special body constitution of someone like Mitsuri, Shinobu still lacked decent physical strength despite mastering a breathing style.

Because of this, among the nine Hashira, Shinobu's physical strength was the weakest, so weak that she couldn't even cut a demon's neck with her Nichirin Sword.

However, to compensate for her lack of strength, she created Insect Breathing, which featured rapid thrusting and movement techniques.

With Insect Breathing, she could unleash astonishingly fast movements and thrusts powerful enough to pierce through rocks. Coupled with her lethal poison, she could kill demons effortlessly.

Now, Shinobu was surprised to find that with the Demon Slayer Mark, her strength had greatly increased. She believed she should be able to behead demons with her physical strength alone.

"Hahh, this feeling is... fascinating..."

Obanai, who ranked second weakest in strength among the nine Hashira, muttered in admiration.

"I feel super flamboyant now! As expected of me, the God of Festivals!"

Tengen struck a pose, looking narcissistic.

"Umm... Isn't it a bit concerning for a girl to have such powerful strength?"

Mitsuri, feeling like she could effortlessly lift a life-sized boulder above her head, suddenly began to worry about her own girly power.

"Umu! Not bad!"

Kyoujurou cheered loudly as he felt his strength.

Watching the Hashira feel the Demon Slayer Mark's power, Riezel nodded in approval.

"Now that you've all succeeded, I suppose I can get rid of mine."

Riezel spoke calmly, touching his forehead with his finger, where a subtle red light was pulsating.

Some of the Hashira look at their swords in awe.

At this moment, regardless of how bizarre their shapes were, their sword's blades had all turned bright red.

"Incredible!" Kyoujurou exclaimed. "Truly, we've been missing out. We had no idea such ability was hidden within us."

Upon hearing this, all the Hashira nodded in agreement.

Whether it was the Demon Slayer Mark or the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, they were actually very close to them. As long as they grasped the conditions, they could possess these abilities.

It was just that these so-called conditions were frustratingly unattainable. If Riezel hadn't deduced the hidden conditions, just relying on the methods mentioned in the original work, trying to awaken these two abilities would be nothing but wishful thinking.

"We still got that Transparent World thingy left, right?"

Sanemi asked Riezel with a spirited tone.

"Teach it to us together! Let's get it all done in one go!"

Upon hearing his words, the other Hashira nodded repeatedly.

Evidently, they had become somewhat overconfident.

Originally, when Riezel mentioned the Demon Slayer Mark, the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and the Transparent World, they thought it would be difficult to awaken all these three powerful abilities before the final battle.

As a result, many Hashira hadn't considered acquiring all three abilities before the final battle. Instead, they aimed to awaken at least one.

However, just a few hours later, both the Demon Slayer Mark and the Bright Red Nichirin Sword had unexpectedly awakened and been acquired by them in succession.

This obviously filled them with confidence, believing they would definitely possess all three abilities before the final battle began. By then, the Upper Ranks wouldn't be towering walls blocking their way anymore.

Riezel naturally sensed their expectations and swelling confidence, so he decided to dampen their spirits a bit first.

"Listen, the Transparent World isn't like the Demon Slayer Mark or the Bright Red Nichirin Sword—there are no shortcuts here." Riezel said calmly. "Upper Three Akaza is an unmatched martial artist who's been around for at least a century, and he still never managed to awaken it. Don't think you can just wake it up easily this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Riezel slowly drew his sword.

"You... Wh-What are you doing?"

Mitsuri asked in fear, taking a step back, while the other Hashira instantly became alert.

Riezel, however, smiled.

"You know, the Transparent World is something that can only be reached by giving it your all and enduring pain."

Upon hearing his words, a bad feeling arose in the hearts of every Hashira.

In the next moment, this bad feeling came true.

"I'll be your opponent this time. Come at me together."

Riezel's body emitted a heat intense enough to scorch the air.

"Don't worry, I'll use the flat side of the blade. I won't kill you or break your swords. But to get you to awaken the Transparent World, don't expect me to go easy on you, so be mentally prepared."

Surprisingly, his calm words made even some of the toughest Hashira among the nine involuntarily gulp.

Before long, flames erupted in the forest, marking the beginning of this hellish special training session.