"I never thought my original idea would actually succeed."
"Blade of Despair? Hmm, I'd rather have a suit of armor."
However, one discovery made Kurozawa's breathing catch. He gripped the Blade of Despair tightly and saw that the suffix beside Water Breathing Sword Forms in the skills section had changed.
Water Breathing Sword Forms, Tier Two (Upgradeable).
"So that's how it is. Gray-White can only enhance things that belong to me. Once I can condense a blade, I can enhance the corresponding abilities."
"From now on, I, Kurozawa, will be a genius of sword forms. Hahaha!"
Kurozawa looked at the Blade of Despair in his hand and could not help laughing aloud. He had a feeling that he would soon possess the true power of a Marked Swordsman, rather than merely the corresponding physique.
Three days later, on Mount Sagiri, Kurozawa stood on a mountaintop platform beneath a sky full of dawn light, bare-chested as he swung the black blade in his hand again and again, performing Water Breathing Sword Forms.
Surface Slash! Kurozawa's strike fell like a raging waterfall, terrifying in its force. A sharp blade of light shot from the weapon and slashed toward a massive boulder more than ten meters ahead.
The blade light struck the boulder but failed to pierce through it, leaving only an unremarkable cut of middling depth.
"...All show, no strength."
Kurozawa walked over and touched the mark he had left, veins bulging on his forehead.
He had thought that after obtaining the Blade of Despair, he could try practicing the sword forms again. Maybe he could improve through his own efforts, but reality was cruel. Kurozawa's sword forms were still awful to behold.
They were not exactly weak, but compared to his current level after awakening the Demon Slayer Mark, his